A Certain Exchange Student's Crazy School Life
by CypherPen
Summary: Watch Cleon as he meets the characters of both the main and side stories, gets involved in the deepest mysteries, uncovers his true potential, and pits his ingenuity against the forces of evil, while trying not to die in the most horrible ways imaginable
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own none of the works belonging to the author(s) of the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime /manga and any related anime/manga, neither do I own any of the characters nor places inside said stories, save for those imagined and created by me.**

**Prologue**

**Saishinga International Airport.**

**Academy City, Japan**

**4:23 pm**

Amid the late afternoon sun, the blue and red fuselage of Flight 84 of Fuji TransAir Airlines landed on the landing strip, its large wings and engines shining as bright as the forest of wind generators that provided power for the City of Students. Inside the airport, civilians, most of them students, milled around the large interior, greeting friends and hauling away their luggage. However, some of them were pinned to the large windows, growing more curious as they watched the large airplane taxi toward Terminal 3.

Soon after docking, people begin exiting the plane, dividing into three groups as they walked toward the security checkpoints. One such group arrived at a certain checkpoint, which was reserved for exchange students and students arriving from vacation. One by one, each person showed his/her visa to the scanner, waiting as the computer spat out his/her name onto a screen, as well as other personal information.

"_Tsushima Ari..."_ Blah, blah, blah.

"_Kimajitsu Koura..."_ Blah, blah, blah, blah.

"_Samigura Hanzou..."_ Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Finally, the last person walked toward the scanner. Wearing glasses, the skinny boy wore black pants and a white collar shirt with a computer logo on the front. He wore black running shoes and a digital watch on his right wrist. His black hair was styled into loose curls, a few strands of straight hair sticking out the rear of the scalp. The boy carried a large backpack filled with his clothing, as well as a variety of drawing materials and school books.

Wiping sweat from his forehead, his brown skin cool and moist, the boy showed his visa to the scanner. As soon as he did, the machine whirred into action, much faster than it had done for the previous people. One of the guards wearing black armor, who was overseeing the scan, blinked in surprise as the machine spat out the boy's information first in Japanese and then in English, much faster than it normally did:

_Name: Cleon Richardson_

_Nationality: North American (United States)_

_Ethnicity: African-American_

_Home City: Library City_

_Age: 15_

_Status: Exchange Student_

_School of Enrollment: Nagatenjōki Academy_

_Level: 2_

_Ability: Mental Compute_

The guard jerked back in surprise. "M-mental compute?" he wondered. "What does that mean?"

"Basically, I just think of various functions and algorithms," Cleon said, shrugging. "I can also run scenarios in my head, as well as visualize schematics and blueprints, even though they aren't always clear."

The guard looked confused, blinking in befuddlement for a few seconds. "Okay, come on through," he finally said, not having a damn clue on what was being said.

Giving the guard a small smile, Cleon bowed and passed by him, heading for the airport entrance.

Outside, Cleon sat on a bench and waited for the shuttle. Yawning, he looked at his watch. Nearby, the cylindrical cleaning bots were sweeping the sidewalks, their spinning brushes kicking up dust and minute grains of dirt. Cleon lazily watched as one of them moved toward him. He had heard much about these machines, as well as this city, back home in Library City. Environmentally conscious, this city had eschewed the use of fossil fuels in favor of alternative energy resources, especially wind power. In fact, the use of gasoline-powered vehicles is prohibited inside the city limits. Also, littering and even smoking are not permitted. It was as if this city was actually a huge university.

Suddenly the solar-powered engine of the nearby cleaner bot changed pitch the moment the machine came within a meter of Cleon. Confused, Cleon leaned forward, taking a closer look. The rotary brushes of the machine whirred much faster, causing the bot to wobble as its balance was being shaken off center by the force of the rotations. Cleon gasped as the cleaner bot wobbled violently like a spinning top and finally fell on its side. Part of its top was severely dented when it fell onto a rock on the sidewalk.

Cleon slowly sat up straight, staring at the silent machine for a few seconds. All of a sudden, the bot sprang back to life, blaring out an earsplitting alarm. Gritting his teeth, Cleon covered his ears and swore under his breath. Nobody told him that these machines were loud. Inside the airport, Cleon could barely make out the movement of bodies as guards ran toward the downed bot, pushing their way pass students.

Sighing, Cleon buried his face in his hands, completely embarrassed. When the alarm was suddenly cut off, he looked up in relief and found himself surrounded by no less than eight guards.

"Oh crud," he muttered as the serious glares of the guards bored into him.

**Nagatenj**_**ō**_**ki Academy Dorm A**

**4:56 pm**

Yawning, Cleon stretched out his arms, feeling tired, as well as worn out. It felt as if hours had gone by. It took a long time to convince those guards, who he now know as Anti-Skill, that he had nothing to do with that cleaner bot's malfunction. Only when footage from a security camera had proven his innocence did he not get arrested.

Walking into the lobby, Cleon looked around, amazed at the size of the interior. It had got to be about 60 feet by 26 feet, with a height of no more than 40 feet, according to his mental calculations. Each wall contained about one or two paintings. In the center of the dorm lobby was a bronze statue depicting a young woman wearing a lab coat standing on top of a stack of books. She appeared to be holding what looked like a bronze chemistry flask in one hand and her notebook in the other. Smiling in appreciation, Cleon continued to look around the large room.

The lobby contained a few students, who were either talking to each other or studying. As he walked toward the stairway at the far end of the lobby, they stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. As he passed by them, Cleon could heard them whispering. However, the only words he were able to make out were _'New student'_ and _'Exchange student'_.

Cleon finally ascended the stairway, looked at his rooming chart again, and looked around at the room numbers. "Okay, okay, " he muttered, scratching his head. "My room number is 205-B. However, these rooms seemed to be in the five hundreds, not to mention that they have the letter 'A' marked after them."

"Excuse me, may I help you?" a feminine voice behind him spoke.

With a yelp, Cleon jumped, his heart hammered in his throat. Slowly turning around, Cleon's eyes widened when they fell on a girl who had managed to sneak up on him. Her shoulders rising above his head, the slim girl was wearing a lab coat over her black and white uniform, which Cleon found attractive. Her short, black hair covered her neck, the bangs barely hiding her eyes. Her eyes; however, was unlike anything Cleon had ever seen. Beside her unblinking stare, her irises and pupils were so small that it looked as if she was peering into his brain. Or viewing his private memories and thoughts. Or even looking deeply into his soul.

Shuddering, Cleon shook the scary thought out of his head. "Ah...yes," he said, giving a nervous chuckle, giving the girl the rooming chart. "I was...um...looking for my room."

Looking over the piece of paper, the girl gave a small grin. "Well," she finally said. "You're in the wrong building. Building B is that way. Here, let me show you to your dorm."

"Thanks," Cleon said, following the girl down the stairs.

As the two walked out of the building, the girl finally spoke, "I take it that you're new to the school, no?"

"Actually, I'm new to the city," Cleon said, trying to keep up with the girl. Her long strides always put her a step ahead, so to speak. His fatigue, combined with his sore shoulders, didn't make matters any better.

"Ah, a new student?"

"That, plus an exchange student from America."

The two passed through the school's garden, orchids and sunflowers glowing among its lush bushes and the few but healthy trees that dotted the area. The only other people that were inside the garden were students, as well as visitors, who was sitting in the shade, eating snacks and reading. "Ah, the United States," the girl finally said. "I'd been to San Francisco last summer. A beautiful bridge they built over there. It is truly a monument worthy of its name,"

"The Golden Gate Bridge," Cleon summarized. "I came from the collegiate city of Library City, just east of Los Angeles."

"Library City?"

"Trust me. There are _way_ more collegiate cities out there than just Academy City. This city is just the most famous of them all."

"Touché."

Finally, the two students arrived at the second, smaller dormitory and walked in. Though there were no students inside, the lobby itself seemed smaller. In fact, there were few paintings and a smaller replica of the statue was in the center of the room. Though everything looked similar to the first building, Cleon somehow felt deprived. "Who's that?" he asked the girl, pointing at the statue.

The girl looked toward the statue, a smile of pride lighting up her otherwise emotionless face. "That," she spoke, "Is Shinai Nagatenj_ō_ki. Thirty years ago, she was one of Academy City's top researchers. She was one of the scientists who'd helped advanced hydroponics, allowing this city and others to grow food in even barren and inhospitable terrains."

"That's amazing," Cleon breathed.

"Yes, precisely. Anyway, after she retired, Shinai-sama poured her funds into building this school, eventually naming it after herself seven years before she died of cancer."

"Shinai-sama?" Cleon repeated, befuddled. "What with the 'sama' suffix?"

"It's like saying, 'Ms. Shinai' in your vocabulary," the girl said, grinning. "It's an honorific for respect and awe. Hang around in this city long enough and you'll learn a little Japanese to show off to your friends back home."

"Thanks," I'll try to take in and dissect the data in chewable pieces of bytes," Cleon said, grinning.

"What are you, a computer?"

"Close enough."

"Sure... Now let's continue on."

After going up the stairs, the two walked down a hallway, glancing at the room numbers. They passed by three girls, who gave Cleon a curious look before whispering among themselves. At the end of the hallway, the two finally arrived at room 207-B. Music was coming from inside the room.

Stretching, Cleon turned to face the girl. "Well," he said, yawning. He then leaned on the door. "Thanks for the walk, as well as the talk."

"No problem," the girl said, scratching under her right eye. "Hope you like the school."

"I'm sure that I'll like the-" Cleon yelped when his door opened. He barely had time to scream when he landed face down onto the gray carpet. Groaning, he looked up, his eyes falling on a pair of black and yellow striped slippers. Cleon quickly crawled back onto his feet and beheld the boy who stood before him. Sporting spiky, red hair, the boy was an estimate of three inches taller than him. Though he still wore his uniform bottom, he was wearing a wrinkled black T-shirt depicting what appeared to be some sort of Japanese rock band painted in vivid red and orange colors. A guitar-shaped emblem hung from a 20" chain around his neck.

The boy smiled, as if he has been expecting him for a long time, and spoke, "Well, isn't it Cleon Richardson from America itself."

"You must be Hamyaru Tensei," Cleon said, giving a nervous chuckle. "My roommate."

"Right on the money, my friend," Tensei said, giving the girl a playful smirk. The girl didn't even flinch. "And what do we have here, your girlfriend?"

"She's only a friend," Cleon corrected, blushing.

"Well, there's no shame in nailing a girl on your first day."

The girl cleared her throat. "Now that you are acquainted, it's time for me to head for my dorm." Without a word, the girl turned to leave.

"Wait!" Cleon called after her. "I've never got to learn your name."

Stopping, the girl looked over her shoulder. Cleon could swear that there was a small grin on her face. "Nice to spend some time with you, Cleon," she finally said. "I am Shinobu Nunotaba. You can just call me Shinobu. Take care."

Watching Shinobu walk down the hallways, Cleon looked spellbound. Though her unblinking stare was creepy, there was something about her that attached him. He couldn't exactly discern the feeling but it sort of felt as if she was sort of like a big sister who held more knowledge than even he could possibly know.

Placing an arm around Cleon, Tensei gave a low whistle as he watched Shinobu turned a corner. "You know," he began to say. "There are other things in this city that are as beautiful as they are mysterious, like Aiho Yomikawa, for example. I think that it's my fate to get arrested and strip-searched by such a beautiful and strong woman." Tensei was practically drooling, feeling lovestruck."

Befuddled, Cleon turned to face his roommate. "Who's Aiho Yomikawa?"

"That," Tensei said, giving Cleon a powerful slap on the back. "Is a story best reserved for next time."

"_*Gump!*_ Er...right," Cleon groaned, his skin burning from where Tensei had slapped him.


	2. Planning for a Raid

**Chapter 1: Planning for a Raid**

**Nagatenjōki Academy**

**Classroom 201-A**

**8:06 am**

"Good morning, class," Mr. Fujimake announced, motioning to the newcomer. "Please give Mr. Cleon Richardson a warm welcome. He is the new exchange student who will be joining us today."

"Morning, Cleon!" the classroom shouted in unison.

"Morning," Cleon said, waving with a shy smile. "So, where can I sit?"

"Just sit in any of the empty seats in the room," Mr. Fujimake answered.

Cleon looked around the classroom. Near the middle was Tensei, as well as Yumeji Buimei, another student he'd met this morning. Both were waving him over to an empty desk next to them. Shinobu; however, was nowhere in sight. Feeling a bit disappointed, he made his way over to the desk beside the two students.

"Okay, class," Mr. Fujimake said once Cleon had sat down. "Now that that's taken care of, let's resume from Chapter 5 in your Japanese history books."

* * *

><p><strong>9:38 am<strong>

Scribbling notes inside his notebook, Cleon glanced out the window. Unlike the cities he visited, the streets of Academy City seemed to be nearly deserted, save for the occasion Anti-Skill patrol and cleaner bot, as well as several people going about their daily lives. Of course, such things are expected to happen inside collegiate cities such as this one. However, to Cleon, it seemed as if nearly everyone here were students.

Cleon turned back to his notes and continued to write. Beside him, Tensei yawned and scratched an ear. Whispering something to Yumeji, he leaned over to Cleon. "Interested in going to the arcade with us after class?" he whispered.

"If I don't have any homework to do first," he whispered back.

"Fujimake-sensei usually doesn't hand out homework until we get to Chapter 10."

Cleon thought for a moment. "Okay, count me-"

*BOOM!*

The classroom shook slightly as it was rocked by the explosion. Objects on Mr. Fujimake's desk rattled, some of them sliding precariously close to the edge. Cleon whipped toward the window, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw a huge explosion of water spray up into the sky before falling back to earth. Turning to face the class, Cleon became befuddled at their expressions. Instead of surprise, as he had expected, the class was unusually calm and quiet. It was as if such an event is just as normal as pep rallies.

"What…was that?" he asked Tensei.

Tensei smirked and shrugged. "It's her."

Cleon gave him a quizzical look. "Who's _her_?"

Tensei jumped in surprise. "Oh, I've forgotten that you're the new kid on the block. Anyway, what you had just seen is the might of Tokiwadai's finest, Mikoto Misaka."

"Mikoto Misaka?"

"Yes, a.k.a. 'The Railgun.' She's the poster child of Tokiwadai Middle School _and_ a Level 5 Electromaster. She's _so_ amazing!"

"So this 'Railgun' goes around in the morning, blowing up a city's worth of water with electricity? That explosion of water had got to be approximately forty-six meters high!"

"Oh that? Well, the thing is, her signature move is so powerful that they have to use an Olympic-sized pool to cushion the blow."

"Damn…" Cleon breathed. "What is her signature move?"

Tensei glanced toward the front of the classroom, becoming very embarrassed upon finding Mr. Fujimake staring at him, his arms folded out in front of him. "We'll talk about that later," he choked out.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside of Kirasaki's Arcade<strong>

**6:10 pm**

Cleon stretched out his arms as he exited through the doors, breathing deeply into the mid-afternoon air. It was no surprise that the air here was much cleaner than in Los Angeles. Walking beside him were Tensei and Yumeji, who was busy playing a game of Rock, Paper, and Scissors. Two more students, Amaito Shinairi and Tatsu Kuinerai, were debating over which brand of trading cards are the best.

"Pokémon is the greatest brand of trading cards in existence!" Tatsu demanded. "The characters are rich in creativity and variety!"

"Pffft!" Amaito scoffed. "My youngest brother is seven years old and even _he_ thinks that he's too old for Pokémon, not to mention that nobody even plays Pokémon anymore! Not even Yugi-oh! can touch Magic: The Gathering!"

"Magic: The Gathering is so boring! What muscular lion-shaman or whatever is better than Pikachu?"

"Dragons are much cooler than that electrifying rat!"

"_Mouse."_ Tatsu corrected firmly.

"Aw damn it," Tensei muttered, throwing his hands up. "In real life, rock would've smash right through paper."

Yumeji chuckled. "Either way, it has been decided. We strike tonight."

Cleon raised an eyebrow. "Strike _what_ tonight?"

Yumeji moved a few strands of long brown hair covering his left eye. "Tonight," he said, grinning. "We will raid the Tokiwadai dorms and reclaim what they took from us. We've spent many months formulating a plan to make it happen."

Cleon was taken back. A flashback of the huge explosion of water appeared in his head. Tensei had told him after class about Mikoto's signature move. Cleon gulped visibly. He'd never thought that a coin traveling at the speed of sound could possibly hit a target with the force of a tank shell.

"Actually, they'd only took it from us almost three weeks ago," Amaito corrected.

"Yeah, but it felt like a much longer amount of time had passed."

"What did they take from you guys?" Cleon questioned.

"They took a Unaberu Series Ultra Router from us," Tensei said with a sense of longing in his voice. "Without it, we cannot connect to the city's Wi-Fi network."

Cleon shrugged. "Can't you guys just buy another router? Do you guys have computers with Wi-Fi capabilities?"

"You don't understand, Cleon," Tatsu said. "The Unaberu isn't just like any other router. It's the most powerful and most secured router in all of Japan."

"It allows multiple computers to access the Internet through it, no matter where inside this city they are," Amaito added. "Plus, we can share and download files much faster when connected to it.

"And it caused us a fortune," Yumeji added. "It took us _two_ summers of hard part-time to come up with the money to buy it in the first place."

"And those worthless girls took it from us!" Tatsu growled. "As rich as they are, you would've thought that they have enough money to buy their own Unaberu!"

"Actually, you _gave_ it to them," Amaito pointed out. "Remember?"

Tatsu gave a loud groan. "How many times do I have to tell you? I did not give it to them _voluntarily_. They…" Another sigh. "They…you know what? I just can't describe the experience."

"It was as if something was controlling you," Tensei said. "As if you were a puppet getting its strings pulled."

"_Exactly!"_

Yumeji sighed. "Well, whatever happened, one thing is certain: we must get that Unaberu back."

"Count me, Tatsu-san, and Amaito-san in," Tensei said, turning to Cleon. "What about you, Cleon? Will you help us get back our Unaberu?"

Cleon thought for a few moments. Of course, Mikoto may possibly be inside the dorm. She could possibly be one of the girls who stole the Unaberu. The terrible thought of Cleon being blown to smithereens by her railgun attack made him squeamish.

However, the thought of accessing the Unaberu interested him. So far, not one company in the U.S. had ever designed anything as advanced as the Unaberu. Ever since its introduction two years ago, he had always wanted to try it out. Unfortunately, the router was too costly for any American company to even consider investing in its production.

"Count me in!" he finally said with a determined voice.

"Great!" Tatsu said, rubbing his hands together. "So, when can we start?"

"We can start planning as soon as we get to the park," Yumeji said, turning a corner. "Let's go through this alley.

* * *

><p><strong>Fumiyawa Children's Park<strong>

**6:25 pm**

Cleon gazed lazily at the various swing sets, jungle gyms, and slides that dotted parts of the park. Students and visitors alike walked along the sideways, while a few cleaner bots were picking up pieces of trash and candy wrappers. However, beside about three families playing with their children in the distance, no one else was sharing the park with the five students of Nagatenjōki Academy.

Cleon, as well as his classmates, was sitting inside a gazebo on the farthest corner of the park. Despite being as exposed as a large Greek symbol in the middle of a word document written in Mandarin, Yumeji insisted that it was the safest place to discuss plans concerning what was clearly against school policy.

* * *

><p>"<em>Despite Fumiyawa Park being a place meant for children," he had said. "Anyone can enter, providing that they bring along at least one child."<em>

"_Good," Cleon had said. "So, where do we find a kid?"_

"_We don't. Besides, it's the weekend. Judgment usually doesn't patrol parks such as this one that often on weekends."_

* * *

><p>Cleon yawned and stretched his arms. None of the students passing by wore the green and white striped cuff that depicted the shield representing Judgment.<p>

"Okay," Yumeji said, rolling out a map on the table. It was the floor plan for the second floor of Tokiwadai Dorm #2. A big red X was drawn over what appeared to be Room 245-2. "Here's the floor plan of the objective. It wasn't easy getting a hold onto this piece of info."

"Man, it look like you downloaded it off the Internet," Tatsu pointed out.

"Yes, but because _someone_ gave the Tokiwadai girls the Unaberu in the first place, the downloading took almost an hour."

"Hey, for the last time…"

"Sweet!" Tensai said, grinning. "I'd never thought that the info could be this accurate, right down to the big X!"

"Well, since Tatsu-san's room is within eyeshot of the Takiwadai Dorms, he looked through one of the windows and noticed one of the girls who…made him hand over the Unaberu. Therefore, by taking into account the location of his room and that of the girl, I was able to zero in on her position."

Yumeji drew a line along the hallways. "Anyway, back to the plan. This line represents the dorm supervisor's patrol route. She is to be avoided at all costs. Do not even let her hear you breath. Hope to God and heaven that she doesn't even pick up your scent."

"Poor Kouta-san never stood a chance," Amaito said, shaking his head sadly.

"What happened," Cleon asked. "Was he expelled?"

"Getting him expelled is too merciful," Tensei said, also feeling gloomy. "He was traumatized instead, often repeatedly saying that that woman is not human."

"He thought that, since he was so tough, he can just walk into the Tokiwadai Dorms at night, stare down the supervisor, and live," Tatsu said. "Don't become just as stupid."

At first, Cleon was dumbfounded. Finally, he shook out of his senselessness and spoke, "Don't tell me that Tokiwadai Middle School is an all-girls school."

"Wow," Amaito said sarcastically. "It took you eons to realize that?"

"He's new, Amaito-san," Tensei said.

"Oh, why do I keep forgetting that?"

"Anyway," Yumeji continued. "Once we get inside the dorms, we will sneak into the objective's room, find and take the Unaberu, and get out of there before they realized what happened. Now, any questions?"

"When can we get started?" Tatsu asked.

"We'll start around 10 o' clock, tonight."

"Can we use our abilities?" Amaito asked. Of the five students, only Amaito, Cleon, and Yumeji had abilities. Amaito is a Level 2 Lithomaster, whose ability to control stone and sand is only good enough to distract any pursuer while he escapes. Yumeji is a Level 3 Phonomaster, whose control of sound waves is very useful only if he isn't distracted by a rampaging dorm supervisor. However, no one seemed to understand Cleon's Mental Compute. In fact, even Tensei was confused, wondering whether Cleon really is an ability user or is only very intelligent.

"If you don't want Anti-Skill to insert their batons down your throat while the supervisor is stuffing your other end with her foot, use them only as a last resort."

Cleon raised his hand. 'I don't feel right about this plan."

The other students were silent. "What's wrong, Cleon?" Yumeji asked. "Is there something you don't understand?"

Cleon scratched his head and pointed at one of the floor plan's corners. The others leaned forward to take a closer look. "First of all, this floor plan was drawn in 2003 when it's now 2010."

Tatsu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Come to think of it," he muttered. "Didn't Tokiwadai Dorms undergo some renovations last year?"

"I think so," Amaito said, shrugging. "There were a lot of construction crew members working on the buildings."

Yumeji was shocked. "You mean to tell me that these floor plans are useless?" he questioned incredulously.

"Correct," Cleon continued. "And I calculate a 97% chance that this plan will end up in us getting swamped."

"What else is wrong?" Tensei asked.

"Another thing wrong with this picture is that today is a weekend, right?"

"How can a weekend be bad?" Tatsu questioned. "Who would want to…" Suddenly, Tatsu's eyes widened as he understood what Cleon was trying to say. "Oh, I see."

"Meaning that those girls are probably going to be up late…" Yumeji concluded.

"Accessing the Internet via the Unaberu," Amaito added.

"Precisely," Cleon said. "Now, do the Unaberu emit some sort of light?"

"Of course, "Yumeji said. "In fact, the blue light it gives off is bright enough to light up the room. It must've looked like we were creating a miniature sun inside the room."

"Wait a minute," Tensei muttered. "Could it be how those Tokiwadai girls knew that we have the Unaberu in the first place? I mean, we kept it in Tatsu-san's room on the night it was taken, right?"

Tatsu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think of it…"

"Hearing about the Tokiwadai dorm supervisor from you guys," Cleon continued. "It seems that she's a strict woman who is most likely frightening enough to keep the Tokiwadai girls in line, making it a high probability that they will try to mask the Unaberu's glow."

"Of course," Yumeji agreed. "I mean, that's what I would've done if I was them."

"That's what we should've done in the _first_ place," Tatsu butted in.

"Last, but not least," Cleon said. "How many girls came and took the Unaberu away?"

"I dunno," Tatsu shrugged. "Four, maybe another girl. I mean, I was being controlled by _someone_ but neither of the girls I saw looked like they were doing it. They only seemed to be enjoying my torment."

"About the girl you saw in the window," Cleon concluded. "Since it a high possibility that they are scattered throughout their dorms, just as we are in ours, even if the floor plan we have is still correct in terms of room location and the girl is still inside the objective location, there is a 20% possibility that the Unaberu is in there but an 80% possibility that it is someplace else."

Again the others were silent. Finally, Yumeji spoke, "What do we do now? How can we get the Unaberu back now? How would we find it?"

"Should we spend two more summers of hard part-time work to buy another Unaberu?" Amaito asked.

Suddenly, Cleon had an idea. "Hey, do you guys have any cell phones you're no longer using?"

"Yes, it's inside our dorm room," Tensei said, confused. "If you plan to use it to call someone, you're out of luck."

"It's just as good as a working phone," Cleon brain was on overdrive. Ideas after ideas were pouring into his mind. He suddenly knew what else was needed. "We also need to stop by a toy store along the way and buy a remote-controlled helicopter. Also, I need a few strands of copper wiring and some old antennae. I also need the most recent phone directory you can find."

Yumeji was befuddled. "What are you're planning to do?" he asked.

Cleon gave him a confident smirk, which made him more confused. "If all goes well, we'll be surfing the Internet on the Unaberu by tomorrow morning."


	3. All in a Day's and Night's Work

**Chapter 2: All in a Day's (and Night's) Work**

**Inside the Nagatenjōki Dorms Garden**

**7:35 pm**

Tensei glanced out at the setting sun, a warm smile on his face. Though he had seen the sun set many times in his lifetime, the sight never grows old, especially when it's nearly the end of spring. Beside him, Yumeji was carefully going over a copy of the newest floor plan of Tokiwadai Dorm #2. He was sitting beside a large phonebook and a telescope. Amaito went to the toy store to buy the remote-controlled helicopter while Tatsu went to go search for some wires and antennae. Meanwhile, Cleon had gone to his dorm room to get his computer.

Yawning, Yumeji turned to Tensei. "Hey, Tensai-san?" he asked.

"Yes?" Tensei said.

"Do you think that this plan will work? I mean, let's say that we somehow locate the Unaberu. How would we get it back without getting into trouble?"

Tensei shrugged. "I dunno, maybe we can just sneak in just as we were planning to do anyway?"

Yumeji glanced at the phone book. "Whatever plan Cleon have in mind, I don't understand why we'd need a phone book? What are we're going to do, call those girls' parents?"

"Only one way to find out," Tensei concluded just as Cleon returned. Along with his laptop, Cleon also was carrying what looked like a webcam. A telltale bulge in one of his pockets revealed a roll of duct tape. Cleon yawned and scratched his forehead with his free hand. "Okay, I'm back," he said.

"May I ask what you're planning to do with whatever we are gathering?" Yumeji asked.

"I'm planning to build a sort of drone that can zero in onto Wi-Fi given off by the Unaberu. Think of it as a dog sniffing for bombs."

"Is building such a thing possible?" Tensei asked.

"Yes, It's definitely is," Cleon finished just as Amaito and Tatsu arrived. Amaito held a large box under his arm. Tatsu; however, came back empty handed. Instead, he looked shakened.

"I got the helicopter, " Amaito announced, showing the others the toy. It looked large enough to pick up a small child. "Is this good enough?"

"Perfect," Cleon said.

"Where's the wires and antennae, Tatsu-san?" Yumeji questioned.

"I've found the wires and antennae in a large pile," he said, obviously afraid of something. "However, there is a slight problem. You see…"

**Somewhere else in the city**

**7:57 pm**

Having left their things in the dorms, the five students hid behind a parked car as they watched the four males loaded bits of wiring, antennae, and other scraps of metal from a pile of junk into a hand drawn cart. Though they were outnumbered four to five, they were much older, taller, stronger, and just as intimidating. In fact, they looked more like thugs than students.

"So this is the problem," Tensei whispered. "So, what do we do?"

"At this rate," Yumeji whined. "They would take all of the wiring and antennae."

"I hope that we don't have to run," Amaito whined. As the chubby member of the five, Amaito knew that he wouldn't get very far if he is ever chased.

"Maybe we should go someplace else and get the stuff," Tatsu offered.

"And take _hours_ to find another pile?" Amaito questioned. "We're lucky that the cleaner bots haven't come this way."

Tensei rubbed his chin. Sure, whatever he was thinking could be risky but there was no other choice. "Hey, guys, I have an idea."

As the other four huddled around Tensei, he continued, "Okay, this plan may be bogus, especially for Cleon, but it's our only shot."

"Why do I feel that this plan has an 83% possibility of ending up in me getting killed?" Cleon asked.

"No worry," Tensei said, giving him a wink that Cleon didn't find reassuring. "We both will do the part that has the most action."

"Great…"

"Now, here's the plan…"

"Hey," one of the young men asked another, who appeared to be the one in charge. "Do you think that this junk will serve us well in our fight against them?"

The leader of the men tossed an armful of wiring into the handcart. "If the boss says it's useful, it's useful. I mean, we would not have lasted this long against _them_ without his guidance."

"Yeah," another man agreed. "He, as well as others, just proven that, though they had considered us nobodies, we have what it takes to knock them off their high horses."

"You got that right-hey, you there! What do you want?!"

Standing at a distance in front of the four young men stood two students wearing the Nagatenjōki school uniform. One of them, the taller of the two, sported red spiky hair. The other student, a black-skinned, slender boy, was wearing glasses and had curly hair. Both were armed with what looked like slingshots.

"You are trespassing onto private property," Red Hair smirked, one of his eyes closed. "Leave now or you will be bombarded."

The leader chuckled derisively, his sneer making his facial scar more menacing. He swore that the curly-haired boy whimpered in fear. "_You_, a worthless student, dared challenged _us_? Do you know what we do to boys and girls whose noses poke into other people's business?"

"You stand there until you get sneezed on," Red Hair sneered. "You idiots can't even fight a toddler to save your own lives."

The leader gritted his teeth in anger. Behind him, his crew growled, muttering something about 'stupid students' and 'stupid ability users'. Clenching his fists, the man took a step forward. "Watch your mouth, you little punk," he growled, taking another step forward. "My mercy has limits, you know."

Red Hair covered his mouth, feigning a yawn. "You know," he said, giving the man a dismissive wave. "On any normal day, I usually don't take on cowards."

"Is that so?" the man growled, taking another step.

Red Hair shrugged. "Today's not a normal day. Take them down!"

Immediately, Curly Hair loaded a pouch into his slingshot and, before the man could react, fired it at him. The man yelled as the pouch smashed into his face, spilling some powdery substance into his eyes. Beside him, his crew gagged and coughed as they breathed in the suspended particles. Coughing, he recognized the substance as chalk dust. He grunted in pain as a second pouch, most likely fired by Red Hair, smashed into his groin. Coughing profusely, blinded, and doubling over in pain, he bellowed out a scream of agony and rage. Almost immediately, the others rushed toward the two students, thoughts of ripping them into shreds flooding their minds.

Smirking, Tensei turned and ran down the street, followed by Cleon. Behind them, the three thugs was slowly gaining up on them. Glancing behind him, Tensei spoke, "Good shot back there, Cleon. I'd never thought that one paper pouch filled with chalk dust could cover four guys at one time."

Cleon nodded, huffing, and spoke, "*Huff* I'd just took in account-*huff*-the direction of the breeze, as well as-*huff*- the position of the thugs. Therefore, I was-*huff*-able to blanket them by hitting the pouch against his nose, ensuring-*huff* that the powder splits off evenly over both sides of his face." Cleon glanced back at the three thugs, who were still gaining up on them. Far behind them, their leader was giving chase, running much faster than they were. "I calculate that, due to their speeds, they would catch up with us in approximately twelve minutes. However, their leader would reach us first in nine minutes."

Tensei gulped, his bravado long gone. "By now, the others are gathering wiring and antennae as we speak. Right now, we must lose these guys."

"Right," Cleon said, his eyes on several alleys up ahead. "I have an idea."

Finally, the four thugs arrived at the alleys where Red Hair and Curly Hair once were. "Hey," one of them demanded. "Where did they go?"

"I think that they went down this alley," another man said, pointed at the respective alley.

"How can you be so sure?" the third man questioned. "Did you _saw_ them run down that alley?"

"Hey, I'm just following a hunch here!"

"QUIET!" the leader roared. The other men stopped arguing. "I don't care which alley they entered. I only care about smashing them into the pavement!" The leader motioned toward the three alleys in front of them. "See, there are three alleys! Each of you take an alley while I go back to the cart. Call if you see them, okay?!"

As the lead thug walked back to the cart, the lid of a nearby trash bin opened and two pairs of eyes peeked out. "Geez," Tensei breathed a sigh of relief. "I'd never thought they'd leave."

"So focused on the alleys," Cleon whispered. "They would have never think of looking into the nearby dumpster, plus the darkened area allowed us to sneak into this bin undetected."

Tensei began to climb out of the dumpster. "Well, let's go check on the others."

Jogging down various dark streets and alleys, the two eventually arrived at the rendezvous point, where Tatsu, Amaito, and Yumeji were waiting. Tatsu was holding a handful of copper wiring and antennae. All three students were overjoyed when they saw Cleon and Tensei.

"Are you guys all right?" Amaito inquired. "We thought that they had finally gotten you."

"Some plan you had, Tensei-san," Yumeji grumbled. "You should've picked me to lure them away. I'm the one with the strongest abilities, remember?"

"Pffft!" Tensei scoffed, fanning a hand dismissively. "With your shoulder length, brown hair and your slender self, they would've mistaken you as a girl. Besides, I'm faster than all of you and Cleon could figure out a way to deal with those guys."

Annoyed, Yumeji rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

The sounds of shuffling feet in the distance and voices became louder and closer by the second. Looking at each other, the five students had only one time on their minds: they had better make themselves scarce, _pronto_.

"Let's get out of here before those jerks find us," Tensei said.

"Yeah," Amaito agreed. "I do not want to start off the weekend beaten to a pulp."

**Tatsu's Dorm Room**

**Nagatenjōki Dorm A**

**08:45 pm**

Despite the dorm room only being large enough to accommodate two people, it was ample room for the five students. Uregami, Tatsu's roommate, usually spends the weekend with his family on the outskirts of Academy City so there was space on his bed for Cleon to build the drone.

With a magnifier attached to his glasses, Cleon worked with great precision, despite moving at a much greater speed than anyone would've normally worked under the same conditions. His classmates stood behind him, their mouths gaped open, as they watched him assemble the machine. Pieces of electronics that once belonged to an old cell phone, webcam, antennae, scanner, and a GPS tracker lay scattered all over the bed. Wiring held the valuable components of all four devices in place inside the salvaged helicopter while leftover wiring is soldered to their circuit boards, creating a pathway among them through which electricity would flow from an onboard battery. Though assembling such a machine in a rapid pace is routine for Cleon, it seemed that, to the others, it looked as if someone have pressed 'fast-forward' on the whole assembling.

"My god," Tensei breathed. "This looks like something someone would've taken much longer to build."

"Yeah," Yumeji agreed. "He's assembling the drone as if he's done it a thousand times. "

"Or that he's working under some time limit," Amaito added. "Kind of like a soldier assembling a gun in the middle of the battlefield."

"Is this another effect of Mental Compute?" Tensei wondered. "Being able to assemble objects just as quick and as effective as a computer assembling data?"

"Yes," Cleon confirmed, assembling the last piece of equipment together. "Even though it isn't solely automatic; I actually have to think of what to build. The drone's completed."

Standing back, the group beheld the sight of the drone. Outfitted with a camera, as well as various instruments, the helicopter looked more like something that the military would've built on a tight budget than a toy. Opening his laptop, Cleon inserted a makeshift wireless transmitter into a USB drive and typed. Lights inside the helicopter flickered on as their respective electronics picked up on the signal given off by the transmitter, while the entire drone gave off a whirring sound.

"Whoa," Amaito breathed. "Hopefully, you didn't add any weapons to the drone."

"What does it do?" Yumeji questioned.

"Well," Cleon explained, pulling up a diagram of the drone. He began to point to each instrument. "There is the camera, which will be sending video footage to this computer for us to watch as we guide the helicopter, as well as a microphone for sound. That right here is a Wi-Fi finder, made from the old cell phone Tensei gave me. It will locate any source of Wi-Fi while the GPS tracker and scanner will map them out by location and floor."

"Ah, I see," Tatsu said. "Since the Unaberu sends and receives signals from multiple computers…"

"It would give off the most amount of Wi-Fi," Amaito added.

"Lighting up like a Christmas tree," Yumeji said, grinning.

"And leading us to its location," Tensei concluded, smirking. "So that we won't have to go from room to room to search for it."

"Right," Cleon said, his turn to smirk."

"What are the TV antennae for?" Amaito asked.

"Through them, the information will be sent back to us so that we can view the Unaberu's location on the monitor."

"I have a question," Tatsu asked. "How would we get the Unaberu once we find out its location?"

"We wouldn't have to," Cleon said, grinning. "We'll have the Tokiwadai supervisor bring it to us. That's what the phonebook for." The others were silent, being too befuddled to speak, to say the least. "Anyway, who's good at mimicking people?"

**One of the gardens outside Tokiwadai Dorm #2**

**10:11 pm**

Camping behind a thick hedgerow to hide themselves from any onlookers, the five students huddled around Cleon's computer. They were all dressed in black to better blend in with the shadows. Above them, the helicopter hovered silently, being controlled by Tatsu.

"I really hope that you know how to fly this thing," Tensei said. "Last time, you got my remote-controlled car crushed by a truck within the first ten minutes I'd let you drive."

"Chill, man," Tatsu said, directing the helicopter toward the dorm.

Since Cleon didn't add any searchlights in order to avoid detection, Tatsu used the building's outside lamps to guide the helicopter up to the second story windows and switch on the Wi-Fi finder. Soon enough, the device picked up the signals and relayed them to the computer. The others watched as the scanner continued to map the floor plans while Tatsu guided the helicopter closer to the strongest source of the Wi-Fi, passing over those pertaining to individual computers, as well as that of the city, which seemed to permeate the entire area. After almost fifteen minutes of tracing the Wi-Fi, Tatsu finally stopped the helicopter outside a certain window, hovering just out of view.

"We…" he breathed, not believing what he was seeing. "We found it."

On the floor mapping screen on the computer, the room of interest glowed bright orange-red like a sun sitting among a group of stars on a dark blue background. Yumeji glanced down at the floor plan and saw the room's number: 241-2. "We found it," he repeated.

"So, "Amaito said, clearing his throat. Flipping to the bookmarked page in the phone book, he took out his phone and dialed the circled number. He laid out his skit on the soft grass. "It's time to put my wonderful skills to use."

Holding the phone to his ear, Amaito waited, occasionally telling the others to be quiet. Somewhere in the dormitory, a phone rang. Finally, someone picked on the other line picked up.

"Hello, I am Detective Tsuchimiya Arisu of Anti-Skill Division 2H-4," Amaito spoke, mimicking a much older man, as he read from the skit. "And I'm calling to inform you of a disturbance coming from Tokiwadai Dorm #2."

The others held their breaths, hoping that the phone call wasn't becoming too bogus for the supervisor to fall for it.

"Well," Amaito continued, much to the relief of the others. "My men and I are in the middle of an investigation regarding a cybercrime. However, our sensors, which are crucial to helping us solve this case should the criminal strikes again tonight, are going haywire due to interference from a Unaberu, which our trackers had pinpointed to a room inside one of your dormitories."

"Which room you ask?" Amaito continued after the supervisor spoke. "Well, if the floor plans haven't been changed within the last few days, I'd say that the Unaberu is located in Room 241-2." The sounds of office chair being pushed back came through the speaker." One moment before you go, though," Amaito quickly added. "You and I know full well about how children's minds are. It is highly likely that they would try to hide the Unaberu if they know you're coming. A little suggestion: sneak up on them and confiscate it by any means necessary. After taking it, hide it in your office. You may give it back to them tomorrow. Thank you for your time and understanding. Good night."

After Amaito hung up the phone, the others silently cheered and high-fived him. "For a moment there," Tensei said. "I thought that she was going to hang up."

"Whoo, I hate the suspense," Yumeji breathed, a hand on his rapidly beating heart.

"This feels so easy that it's frightening," Amaito said.

"Now," Tatsu said, working the controls again. "Let's watch the scene unfold."

At first, the Unaberu remained where it was. After what seemed like eternity, a bright light suddenly shone in the room as the door was suddenly opened. Keeping the helicopter out of view, Tatsu and the others listened to the girl's surprised squeal at being caught and then her subsequent pleas as the supervisor took the Unaberu from her, reassuring her that she'll get it back in the morning.

"Not a chance," Tatsu chuckled as the door closed, plunging the sobbing girl back into darkness.

"Good," Yumeji said. "Now, track the Unaberu's movement."

As Tatsu controlled the helicopter, the others watched as the supervisor carried the Unaberu downstairs and down a hallway on the first floor. As bright as the others said the Unaberu is, Cleon wondered why the supervisor haven't turned it off. Either they were only exaggerating…

"The Unaberu is on battery mode," Yumeji said as if reading Cleon's mind. "Therefore, it's not emitting much light. Otherwise, she would've turned it off."

At last, the Unaberu stopped inside what everyone believed was the supervisor's office. Breathing a sigh of relief, Tensei stretched his arms. "Well, I guess that this is the part in which we sneak inside the dorm and get the Unaberu without getting brutally murdered by the supervisor."

"That's right," Yumeji said, giving him a plastic noh mask resembling a demon's face. "You distract the supervisor by running around, going completely insane, and letting her chase you down the halls."

Tensei looked at the mask and then at Yumeji. "Aw, come on!" he whined, covering his head with his hands. "Why do I get to be the one she chases? What had I done to deserve this?"

Yumeji smirked. "You're the fastest, remember?"

**Inside Tokiwadai Dorm #1**

**First Floor**

**10:38 pm**

"WAAAAGHH!" Tensei roared, his screams echoing in the quiet hallways. The demon mask, combined with his red hair, gave him a fierce, if not comical, appearance. "HOO! HOO! WAAAGHH!

Hiding nearby inside the shower room, the others peeked though the barely opened door, waiting for the super visor to take the bait. Since the supervisor often leaves the dormitory's doors unlocked to catch unsuspecting girls breaking curfew, as well as uninvited guests, it was a simply matter for the five students to sneak inside the building.

"MWUHAHAHAHA!" Tensei bellowed out. "I am Kamiyasha, the Lord of the Underworld! Face me, supervisor, and return what is mine!"

Amaito held down a chuckle. "I have to say, the costume suits him well."

"He was born to do this," Tatsu smirked. "He's my hero."

"I calculate that he is bound to become a sort of comic relief at this rate," Cleon muttered, grinning. His laptop was inside the bag he was carrying. The drone; however, was hidden inside some bushes. Somehow, the statement felt _and_ sounded ironic.

"At this rate, he would've awakened half a school of angry female espers and we all would be wiped off the face of the earth," Yumeji grumbled, regretting his original plan. "Though this is funny, I wish that he decided to run into her office instead."

"Hey supervisor, FACE ME!"

"Well, at least we'll die laughing," Tatsu said, suddenly become tensed. "Here she comes."

The others watched as the supervisor stepped into view. Having long, black hair and sporting business attire, including her glasses, with the cold, no-nonsense expression to match, the Tokiwadai dorm supervisor looked more like an angel of death rather than a faculty member. No wonder the Tokiwadai girls were afraid of her.

However, if Tensei was scared, he was doing a great job not showing it. "Ah ha!" he shouted, placing his hands on his hips. "You have finally arrived. However, before we fight, I must test your speed to see if you are worthy enough to face me!"

"I don't know who you are," the supervisor calmly stated. Even her voice has that cold, frightening edge. "But rest assured that, before this night is over, you will have hell to pay. Lots of hell."

Tensei gulped in fear, his brave facade long gone. "Ah…hah," he stammered. "If you can…um…like, catch me, you are worthy to…fight?"

An icy smile spread over the supervisor's face. Cleon could easily see her razor sharp teeth, ready to chop down on some unfortunate student's throat. Or was it his fear that was causing him to imagine things?

"Good," she sneered. "I'm 'It'." Suddenly, she dashed out at Tensei with an inhuman speed.

Yelping, Tensei barely dodged her grab and ran full speed down a hallway, his falsetto screams echoing in the hallways as the supervisor chased after him.

Watching the two turn a corner, Yumeji turned to the others. "Okay," he was saying. "Even I know that Tensei cannot keep the supervisor occupied. We must move now." Pulling a plastic mask over his face, Yumeji quickly moved toward the supervisor's office. Cleon, Tatsu, and Amaito followed suit and left the shower room.

Entering the office, the four searched everywhere for the Unaberu. They looked into the drawers and the file cabinet. They then looked under the desk and on the trophy rack. Looking for the Unaberu, they became distressed and upset. Amaito's comment pretty much summed up their collective feelings.

"This sucks," he groaned. "So within our grasp but, at the same time, beyond reach."

"The Unaberu gives off light, even when on battery mode," Tatsu said. "It got to still in here."

"Hey guys!" Yumeji called. He had the most gleeful smile on his face. "I've found it!"

Looking at what Yumeji held in his hands, Cleon's heart nearly skipped a beat. There it was, on all its white and green glory, was the Unaberu. The smooth-edged, organic shaped, three sided pyramidal device. About the size of a football, the Unaberu was, until then, only an object from legend. Now, it was the tangible evidence that he soon will have the time of his life. As if this school year couldn't get any better.

"Alright," Tatsu said. "Let's get out of here before the supervisor gets back."

"Who the hell are you guys?" a voice behind them demanded coldly. Slowly turning around, the four students beheld one of the Tokiwadai students, who didn't look very happy at all. Wearing a sky blue gown with blue rose patterns, the girl wore brown, neck length hair with two small ponytails sticking out the sides of her head. Her brown eyes, moist with tears, regarded each student coldly. "Are you guys deaf? Tell me who you guys are or I'll burn you to a cinder!"

Seeing the air surrounding the girl shimmer with vapors, Cleon knew that she could burn them up without so much as a thought. "You use pyrokinesis, right?" he asked.

"What are you, a new student?" the girl growled. "Of course I use fire! Do you want to be the first to experience my wrath?"

Glowering, Tatsu took a step toward the girl. "Hey, I remember you!" he growled. "You're the one who-"

Before he could say anything else, Yumeji covered the front of his mask with a hand, pushing Tatsu behind him. "Are you crazy?!" he asked Tatsu, whispering tensely.

"She's one of the girls who stole the Unaberu in the first place!" he whispered back. "She's the one who had the Unaberu in her room tonight."

"I know but don't reveal your identity, okay?" Yumeji whispered. "The last thing we need is a repeat of last time."

At first, Tatsu was about to protest. Finally, he understood Yumeji's meaning and nodded. "Fine," he finally said.

The moment her eyes fell on the Unaberu, the girl's expression became dangerous. "You dare try to steal that Unaberu?!" she growled. Two fireballs materialized in the palms of her hands. "Give it back to us! We worked hard to get it in the first place!"

"Thief," Tatsu mumbled, barely audible.

"I'm going to count to three," the girl threatened. "And if you don't hand it over, I will burn you alive. One. Two. "

Before the girl got to three, someone pushed pass her, almost knocking her over as he entered the office. "Hey guys," Tensei said, out of breath, oblivious to what was going on. "I see that you got the Unaberu. Let's get out of here."

The others were frightened. "What-what-where is the supervisor?" Cleon asked, stammering.

Tensei shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I've lost her or something."

"Waarrrggghh!" the girl, angry that someone else has come to take away the Unaberu, raged.

Sighing, Tensei snatched a fire extinguisher off a nearby wall and, before the girl could react, sprayed her full force with compressed CO2, putting out her fireballs and leaving her gasping for air. "You really need to cool down, sweetheart," he chided, shaking his head. "Too much stress is bad for everyone. Beside, you'll wake up the others."

Taking a deep breath, the girl yelled, "I'm angry right now! If I'm going to wake up the whole dorm, I'll do whatever I damn well please!" Taking a deeper breath, the girl closed her eyes and screamed loudly. Covering his ears, Yumeji yelled over the screams, "We have to get out of here now! I have a bad feeling about this!"

"Right onto it!" Tatsu called, opening up a window.

Tossing the Unaberu toward Tatsu, who barely managed to catch it, Yumeji added, "Get out of here! Take that and put it someplace safe! We'll meet up with you later!" Giving Tatsu a salute as he climbed out of the window, Yumeji turned to the others. "Now, we must go!"

Making his way to the window, Cleon stumbled over a cord and jerked his hand toward the desk to steady himself. At least that what happened before he touched the plug of one of the USB flash drives scattered on the supervisor's desk. He gasped as images and names suddenly appeared in his mind. The rush of information was so powerful that Cleon nearly blacked out. Instead, as quickly as it had begun, the strange vision ended.

Blinking, Cleon picked out the flash drive he had just touched and looked at it. It was gray colored and has no label on the front. "What was that?" he wondered. "Was that a dream?"

Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder, causing him to yelp in surprise and drop the flash drive.

"Are you okay, Cleon?" It was Yumeji. "We must get out of here!"

Cleon quickly snapped back to his senses and ran to the opened window. Amaito and Tensei have already climbed out of the window. Not hesitating, Cleon climbed out of the window just as the girl's screams was suddenly cut short.

Turning around, Cleon's eyes widened when he saw what interrupted the girl's screaming. Her neck 'bent' in an unnatural angle, the unconscious girl was then thrown to the side by none other than the supervisor. Though too far away to tell, Cleon figured that the woman felt annoyance at the girl's screaming and a deep-seated intolerance for troublemakers.

"What a noisy night this is," she growled, taking a step closer to Yumeji. "Now, finally, it ends _tonight_."

"You'll never take me alive!" Yumeji yelled, making a desperate escape by diving toward the window. He yelped as the supervisor cut his dive short by grabbing a pants leg. Barely managing to grab onto the windowsill, Yumeji struggled in vain to pull himself through the window as the strong supervisor pulled on his leg. Soon, his grip was beginning to slip.

"Nooo!" Cleon yelled. "Leave him along!"

"Go, Cleon-san!" Yumeji yelled. "I'm a lost cause but you're free! Save yourself!"

"No, I'm not leaving you! We need you!"

"Dammit, Cleon-san, stop trying to get a hero! Get out of here now! I'll buy you guys some time while she ripping my organs out! Go!" Yumeji's fingers were beginning to slip. Soon, they will fail.

Cleon immediately squatted on the grass and opened his bag. Turning his laptop on, Cleon frantically typed, bringing up the Programs folder and then the Multimedia folder.

"Go, Cleon-san, go!" Yumeji cried, tears running down his eyes. "My sacrifice would be for nothing if you stay."

"Hang on," Cleon called up to him. "I'm almost there."

Yumeji thought for a second and realized that he didn't actually want to die. "Hurry up, man! I can't hang on for much longer!"

Opening up the Camera program, Cleon cursed when he remembered that he'd taken apart the webcam up when constructing the drone. Though he needed the webcam to blind the supervisor with a powerful flash of light, there was no time to go retrieve it. Putting his computer back into his bag, he quickly grabbed Yumeji's wrists, pulling with all his might. Of course, being the shortest and weakest of the three, which included Yumeji and the supervisor, Cleon didn't fare as well. There was no way that he was going to pull Yumeji through the window by himself.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Cleon quickly jerked his head around, fearful that the person in question was either an Anti-Skill officer or even Mikoto trying to aid the supervisor. Instead, it was Tensei. Smirking, Tensei pulled, another pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

Cleon glanced behind Tensei and gasped in surprise. The other guys have also returned, determined to help Yumeji escape. Even Tatsu had returned to help, having hid the Unaberu in a safe place. It has never occurred to Cleon that these guys had been friends for a long time. It had never occurred that they also consider him a friend, despite having met him only today. Smiling, Cleon continued to pull.

Finally, after several yanks, Yumeji slipped out of the supervisor's grasp, pulled through the window to freedom. He quickly got up and slammed the window shut just as the supervisor pounced, her face bumping against the window. The group of friends watched as the supervisor hissed, her sharp nails making deep scratches on the glass. She glared at the group, her eyes staying mostly on who she now guessed as Cleon, despite the fact that he still was wearing his mask. He has Yumeji to thank for that.

"Let's get out of here before she opens the window," Tensei said.

"And kills us all," Tatsu said

After the group gathered the drone and the Unaberu from their hiding spots, Cleon asked Yumeji, "About that 'san' honorific, what does it mean?"

Yumeji chuckled. "Why, Cleon, it's a mark of respect between equals."

"As well as how we refer to each other," Amaito added, "As friends."

"So that means that we are friends?"

"Of course!" Tensei said, placing an arm around Cleon. "Besides, real friends stick with each other, no matter what."

"And fight battles together," Tatsu added. "As well as get beaten up together."

"And that's all in a nutshell," Yumeji said.

"Precisely what I was thinking, Yumeji-san."

The five friends laughed as they headed toward the Nagatenjōki dorms, the full moon hanging low in the sky above them.


	4. 1st Encounter with the Other Side, Pt 1

**Chapter 3: First Encounter with the Other Side, Part 1**

**Tokiwadai Dorm #2**

**Saturday**

**07:39 am**

Tensei, Cleon, Amaito, Tatsu, and Yumeji all sighed in unison as they wiped the large and numerous windows of the dorm. Behind them, with her arms folded and her piercing eyes on the five Nagatenjōki students, was no other than the Tokiwadai dorm supervisor. A vindictive smile was on her face.

After the fiasco last night, it was a simple matter for her to access the Board of Student Records database for a certain 'Cleon'. A quick search revealed what school he's currently attending, as well as his dorm. It was also a simple matter to contact the appropriate Nagatenjōki dorm supervisor and go over the details of the break-in with her. Earlier that morning, the five friends were found hanging out in the student hall together, which allowed the supervisor to nail them all in one fell swoop. Though the Nagatenjōki dorm supervisor is much nicer than the Tokiwadai supervisor, as Tatsu have pointed out, she's just as no-nonsense.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to call out your name last night," Yumeji muttered, scrubbing at a stain on a window.

"You think?!" Cleon whispered incredulously.

"I can't believe that she was able to track us down, just like that!" Tensei said, snapping his fingers for emphasis. With his fingers wet, though, the snap was dull. "She must have spies everywhere."

"Well, as least we have the Unaberu," Tatsu whispered. The others nodded in agreement. Unfortunately, they were all too tired to use the router so they decided to leave it in Tensei and Cleon's room. "And the best part is they don't know that it was us who took it."

"Still, this is ironic, right?" Tensei asked, sighing. "I mean, here we are, scrubbing the Tokiwadai supervisor's dorm windows, despite the fact that she tried to kill us last night."

"Yeah, it's weird," Cleon agreed, still a little confused over the strange vision. Last night, he had a weird dream over what he saw last night concerning the vision. Though the information was in too many chunks for him to even understand, Cleon did manage to catch a few of them, even being able to comprehend them. As a result, he managed to retain a few interesting words: 'Tree Diagram', and 'Testament'. He even was able to remember someone's name: Ao Amai.

"This sucks," Amaito whined, moving to another window. "Just how many windows do this building even have?"

"Two hundred and forty-five windows," the Tokiwadai dorm supervisor answered, making him jump. "And you guys have only cleaned twenty-five windows." A collective groan arose from the five boys.

"A wonderful way to start off the weekend," Tatsu grumbled sarcastically.

"I couldn't agree more," the supervisor spoke, her smile widening into a grin.

'''''''''''''''

**Nagatenjōki Dorm Garden**

**10:38 am**

"Man, I can't believe that it took us _that_ long to clean all of those windows!" Tatsu whined, his shoulders aching.

"It would've taken us less time if you haven't splashed mud onto the windows we'd already cleaned!" Amaito chided.

"I wouldn't have landed into that puddle if you haven't knocked me off the ladder!"

"That was _so_ accidental!"

"Hey, Cleon-san," Yumeji said, smiling tiring. "After all off the chaos have passed, I never had the chance to thank you."

Cleon blinked in surprise. "Thank me for what?" he asked. "You was the one who founded the Unaberu inside the supervisor's office."

"I know but it was you who helped us get it back in the first place."

"Yes," Tatsu said. "If it wasn't for you, we would've never known where it was being held."

"Or even how to get it," Amaito added. "Thanks."

"In part, we are all grateful," Tensei concluded. He and the others bowed briefly. "Thank you, Cleon-san."

Cleon smiled for a minute and shrugged. "You' re right," he said. "However, my plan wouldn't have been able to work if it weren't for you guys. Thanks."

"No problem!" Tensei said, giving Cleon a slap on the back. Cleon winced in pain. The place where he'd slapped him the first time they met was still sore. "So, now that we are finally free from the evil woman, what should we do now?"

"Let's go access the Unaberu and get Cleon's PC connected to it," Yumeji suggested. "Then we can have loads of fun." Needless to say, everyone was excited.

'''''''''''''''''''''

**Nagatenjōki Dorm B**

**Room 207-B**

**10:44 am**

Instead of the jovial faces that were to be expected from the five friends, they instead wore faces of disbelief and shock at the Unaberu that sat on the bed before them. Instead of the steady blue light they all expected, the router was lifeless.

"Oh my god," Tensei groaned. "Is it broken?! Please tell me it's not broken!"

"Calm down. Tensei-san," Yumeji reassured, himself shaken. "It looks like it's out of power but how it could've happened?"

Cleon gasped and facepalmed himself. "Damn, I may have forgotten to turn it off before hiding it under the bed," he said nervously.

"You forgot to turn it off?!" Tatsu whined. He then threw his hands into the air. "Oh what do we do now?"

"It looks like we need to buy another power adapter," Amaito pointed out. "We'd left the other one in that girl's room."

"I take it that you mean that pyromaniac whose neck that supervisor snapped last night," Yumeji replied.

"Sneaking into her room to get it back is out of the question," Tatsu said.

"No crap it is," Tensei said, rubbing his sore back. "I have enough of that supervisor for a lifetime. Let's go to the store."

As the others left the room, Cleon picked the Unaberu up and held it in his hands. Despite being introduced to the world two years ago, he felt as if the router had just came out hours ago, as fresh as a static charge-resistant bag of newly manufactured memory sticks, to say the least. He held the router in silent reverence for a few seconds before putting it back under Tensei's bed and running after the others.

''''''''''''''''''''''

**Electronics Store**

**Somewhere in Academy City**

**11:14 am**

Walking out of the store, the five friends walked down the street, the power adapter stuffed into the pockets of Tatsu's oversized pants. Rounding a corner, the group passed by two girls who were waiting to cross the street. Suddenly, the taller of the girl, who sported long, black hair and a small white flower hair decoration, reached down and jerked her shorter friend's skirt up into the air, exposing her underwear. "Ah, stars on a field of black!" she announced, smiling. "Did you have a good night, Uiharu?"

Uiharu squeaked in embarrassment, quickly pushing her skirt down. The small flowers that decorated her hair band swayed in the breeze. "Saten-san!" she whined, blushing. "Stop doing that! That's embarrassing!"

"Yeah!" Yumeji agreed, shaking his head. "Go and do that somewhere else, in private."

"The moment I see something like that," Tatsu muttered. "Is the moment I loses faith in humanity."

"Let's go, guys," Tensei said, moving around uneasily. "I have to go pee. Screw these girls."

Saten turned to Tensei, clearly annoyed. "Screw yourself, Red Hair."

Sighing, Tensei held up his hands. "Now, I am trying to be nice here but-"

"The 'Walk' signal's lit, Saten-san," Uiharu announced. Rolling her eyes at Tensei, Saiten followed Uiharu across the street.

"That's one weird girl," Tensei said, smirking.

"Which one?" Amaito said, confused. "I mean, are those flowers _real_?"

"They would've been dead if they were," Tatsu pointed out.

"Let's go, guys," Yumeji said, turning to walk. "We got a Unaberu to-"

A loud scream came from a nearby alley. Tensed, the five friends ran into the alley, picking up objects to use as weapons along the way. Peering ahead, Cleon could see a great fog coming from the other end of the alley. Despite the fact that it's late spring and that it was hot outside, the fog stood there as if it was only winter. The strangest thing; however, was that green sparks were flying around inside.

Cleon slowed down slightly. He had seen many strange things in his life, including the so-called St. Elmo's fire, which is the result of the ionizing of air particles surrounding a ship in the middle of a thunderstorm. He had even saw ball lightning on more than one occasion. However, the weird sparks that buzzed around the fog like flies were unlike anything Cleon had ever seen. This wasn't science, he concluded. This is something else.

The five finally ran into the fog, bracing for whatever could be coming at them. Tensei sniffed the fog and became confused. "It smells like…plants and cinnamon?"

"What kind of person would plant a garden that gives off this much fog?" Amaito questioned.

"And creates these weird fireflies?' Tatsu said, swatting away a green spark. It felt warm to the touch.

"Hey guys!" Yumeji called out through the fog. "Come quickly! You won't believe what I'd just found!"

Cleon quickly looked around. He had not realized that Yumeji had left the group until now. Realizing that the others had also left him, he ran after them, half expecting something to grab him. He burst out of the fog and bumped into something wide and soft.

"Ow!" Amaito cried out when Cleon collided into him. "Slow down, Cleon-san!"

"Sorry," Cleon apologized, straightening up his glasses. "What's going on…wow."

Though the scene was still foggy, it was clear enough for the details to be made out. Surrounding the group were no more than eleven huge plants. Resembling mandragoras, Cleon deducted, these plants grew close to the walls of the enclosed opening, their huge, multicolored leaves nearly bordering the entire area, save for another alley on the other side of the area. Wisps of fog and green sparks were coming from purple flowers growing from long stalks spouting out of the plants.

"I swear that Anti-Skill doesn't cover these dead areas well," Tatsu said. "Who knows what could be hiding inside this city."

"These plants are weird," Tensei said. A smile began to light up his face. "Which reminds me of a story I used to read."

"Oh, not the superstitious bullcrap again," Yumeji groaned.

"Alright, here's the deal," Tensei continued, ignoring Yumeji. "There is a legend about plants known as mandrakes, so-called because their roots are shaped like men. It is said that if you try to uproot one, it lets out a scream that can kill anyone that hears it."

At first everyone was silent. Finally, Yumeji spoke, "That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard! What kind of plant can kill a person with a scream?"

Tensei shrugged. "Don't believe me if you must, Yumeji-san. Try pulling up one of these, if you dare. I'll be inside the alley, covering my ears." Tensei was walking back toward the alley but thought better of it. Who knew what else was hiding in the fog?

"Never mind," he finally said. "I'll wait here, covering my ears."

"Whatever," Yumeji muttered, grabbing the leaves of one of the huge mandrakes. They were large enough to blanket a king-sized bed. "Hey guys, help me pull this plant up!"

Amaito back up and held up his hands. "No way, man," he said, scared.

"Come on, Amaito-san! You heard the loud scream coming from this alley, right? We all heard it and are still alive! Don't let Tensei scare you!"

"Plants giving off sparks and fog are plants that I would want to put at least a mile away from me,"

"This is probably some esper's doing," Yumeji reasoned. "There is no way that anyone else could ever do it."

At first, it looked as if Amaito would continue to refuse but then he conceded. "Alright, I'll do it," Amaito said after a moment. He was joined by Tatsu, who gave him a face.

"You're scared of plants?" he teased. "It's ironic that you love sniffing flowers in the park."

"Screw you, Tatsu." As he and Tatsu grabbed some of the plants leaves, Yumeji turned to Cleon. "Want to join in? Don't tell me that you believe Tensei."

Cleon shrugged. "While Tensei's story is interesting, I've never seen mandrakes this big or strange. I think that I'll keep my distance."

"Suit yourself," Yumeji shrugged. "Okay, guys, ready, set, PULL!"

Yumeji, Amaito, and Tatsu pulled at the mandrake's leaves. The plant inched a bit out of the ground but, other than that, nothing happen. Cleon and Tensei watched their progress, waiting for something to happen. "I guess that we're going to be the sole survivors," Tensei said, covering his ears. "Of course, I'm going to be the only one alive if you don't cover your ears, Cleon-san."

Cleon shrugged. "I don't believe in superstition but, concerning these plants, I didn't say that something bad is not going to happen."

Again and again, the three friends tugged at the mandrake, inching it off of the ground. Yumeji turned his head, giving Tensei a face that said, _'I told you so'_ as Amaito and Tatsu continued pulling. Steadily, the mandrake was giving way, loosening considerably. Cleon's eyes widened as the head of the plant's root surfaced. He watched as the three continued pulling it up. He watched as its flowers produced more sparks and fog. He watched as the root opened what appeared to be eyes which glowed with a bright green light.

He watched as the mandrake opened its large maw and unleashed a terrifying scream.

Yumeji, Amaito, and Tatsu screamed as the force of the scream knocked them clear of the living mandrake and brought them tumbling to where Cleon and Tensei were standing. Hearing the mandrake's scream, Cleon suddenly felt nauseated. Unable to hold back the urge, Cleon bent over and vomited today's breakfast. Behind him, Tensei yelped as Yumeji, Amaito, and Tatsu also vomited.

Growling, the mandrake began to dig itself out of the ground. A dark green tongue licked jagged wooden teeth as stout arms pushed away dirt and pieces of concrete. Finally, the mandrake crawled out of the hole and towered over the boys. Cleon tried to calculate its height but, somehow, was unable to do it. It was as if the ability to do it wasn't there. Guessing, Cleon figured that the mandrake had to be at least seven feet tall.

"I've told you that pulling up a mandrake is bad," Tensei smirked, wagging a finger.

"I'd told you that we were not going to get killed by its scream," Yumeji pointed out.

"Hey guys what are we're going to go about that?" Amaito asked, pointing at the mandrake. The mandrake took a step closer.

Yumeji was still nauseated. "I say that we attack it with everything we got." Yumeji then stretched out his hand. "Let's turn this plant to mulch."

Instead of the powerful blast of sound, as he had hoped, nothing happened. Confused, Yumeji looked at his hand and tried again. Still, nothing happened. "What the hell…" he finally said. "Hey, Amaito-san, try to use your ability."

Amaito concentrated for a moment and stomp the ground. Instead of the erupting wall of earth, as he had expected, nothing happened. "Where…where are our powers?"

"Hah, I see that you are enjoying my little garden," someone said, stepping out of the fog on the other side of the area. "They needed fertilizer, after all."

The group tensed when they saw the woman. Wearing what looked like a green nun's habit, albeit with plant-like designs, the young woman sported short, blood red hair. Her green eyes were filled with malice and hate.

"Who the hell are you?!" Yumeji demanded.

"And what are you doing in our city?" Tatsu questioned.

Sneering, the woman shrugged. "You espers are as rude as you are ungodly. You haven't even given me time to introduce myself. I am Rosaria Comneus, the botanimancer who will raze this sinful city to the ground and will erect a great forest to cover up the ruins so that Academy City will literally be blotted off the face of the earth."

"If I have powers, I'll tear you apart!" Tatsu growled. "No one messes with my city!"

"Oh, about that," Rosaria smirked, motioning to the flowers pouring out green sparks and fog. "Even if you have powers, you still wouldn't be able to use them. What you're breathing in is no ordinary fog. In fact, it's a fog that's currently negating your abilities."

"You monster…" Yumeji growled.

"Oh, and that's not the best part. The green sparks that's flying around you acts like spies. My lovely mandrakes had already known that you were here. They're only waiting for the signal." Having said that, Rosaria snapped her fingers. A chorus of growls and hisses arosed as the rest of the mandrakes begin digging themselves free.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Amaito said, running toward the alley behind the group.

"Good idea!" Tatsu agreed as he joined the others. Racing toward the alley, the five friends could hear the moans of the mandrakes behind them. However, for whatever reason, they weren't giving chase. Cleon was just beginning to wonder why when a large thorn bush erupted out of the ground in front of them, blocking the alley completely.

Trapped between the thorn bush and the advancing mandrakes, the five braced themselves, the pipes they'd picked up along the way to this area the only weapons they had. Rosaria held up a hand and a swarm of the green sparks flew around her. "The sparks have the additional effect of allowing me to know everything about my victims, including their names and abilities. Let's see, Yumeji with the power of sound. Amaito with the power to control earth and stone. Cleon with…"

Rosaria then blinked in confusion. "Could it be?" she wondered out loud. "Could it be similar to _her_ gift? No, it can't be…"

"What does she mean?" Tensei wondered.

"Beats me," Cleon simply said.

Rosaria shook her head. "No matter," she finally said. "What matters is that my babies are hungry and you heathens are just as good as mulch. Try not to scream too loud." Roaring, the mandrakes charged.

"This is going to end badly!" Tatsu whined. "We're all gonna die!"

"You think?!" Amaito said incredulously.

**To be continued…**


	5. 1st Encounter with the Other Side, Pt 2

**Chapter 4: First Encounter with the Other Side, Part 2**

**Unknown Area, Somewhere in Academy City**

**11:32 am**

"Here they come!" Yumeji yelled, gripping his pipe tightly. "Hit them with everything you got!"

"I'm not sure that we can beat them!" Amaito worried, his eyes on the charging mandrakes.

"We must try!" Tensei shouted over the roars of the mandrakes. "We're going to die anyway so let's take as many of them with us as we can!"

"Okay, here goes everything!" Yumeji yelled, pointing at the mandrakes with his pipe. "CHARGE!"

The five friends screamed as they rapidly closed the remaining yards with the monsters, clashing with the mandrakes a few seconds later. Ducking under a side swipe, Yumeji smashed his pipe into a mandrake's knee, knocking the monster on the ground, and finishing it off with a blow to the head. Green plant juices gushed out of what was left of the mandrake's head. Nearby, Amaito sustained a blow to the stomach and was knocked into Tatsu, nearly causing him to lose his balance. Regaining his balance, Tatsu rammed the broken, pointy end of his pipe into a mandrake's eye, killing it instantly, and helped Amaito up.

Meanwhile, Tensei and Cleon were holding their own against no less than five mandrakes. Cleon yelped when three of them, seeing that he was the weakest of the group, attacked him. Ducking under a mandrake's arm swing, Cleon quickly stabbed it in it left leg and dodged another mandrake's attack. The wounded mandrake squealed in agony and rage, its life blood gushing out of its femoral artery. It rushed Cleon, only to get knocked to the ground by its brethren's wild swings. Weakened from the blood loss, as well as the blow, the mandrake laid there, groaning softly as it began to die.

."En garde!" Cleon declared, holding his pipe as one would hold a rapier, if such a rapier was a five pound steel pipe. The two mandrakes growled, bidding their time. Behind them, Tensei was fighting off the last two mandrakes. Despite being outnumbered, he fought like a martial artist, using his pipe as a bo staff to finish them off.

Chuckling, Rosaria clapped her hands. "I have to say, you boys fight well, despite the fact that you will soon die an early death. Such a shame." Shrugging nonchalantly, Rosaria reached inside a pouch at her side and pulled out a handful of seeds. She then scattered them all over the area. The moment the seeds touched the ground, they tunneled deeply into the soil. Seconds later, new mandrakes erupted from the ground and slowly made their way toward the five students.

Bashing a mandrake's head in, Amaito looked up and saw the new mandrakes. "We're totally screwed!" he yelled.

Roaring, one of the mandrakes facing Cleon attacked. Cleon parried the swipe and stabbed it in the throat. The other mandrake attacked, swinging wildly as to hopefully hit him. Dodging the first swings, Cleon yelped when a swing connected to one of his cheeks. Seeing stars for a moment, Cleon flew into the air and landed on his back, sliding a few meters. Struggling to stay conscious, Cleon got up just in time to see the mandrake he was fighting get subdued by Tensei. Smirking, Tensei winked and gave Cleon thumbs up. Suddenly, a mandrake burst out of the fog and tackled him from behind.

Tensei grunted as he rolled with the mandrake, trading punches with it. Rolling onto his back, Tensei block the mandrake's blows with his arms as the monster hammered away. Tensei then grunted as monster grabbed both of his arms and opening its razor toothed mouth as to bite his face off. Suddenly, the mandrake roared in pain when the broken, jagged end of a pipe stabbed into its neck. With a grunt, Cleon shoved it deeper, eventually killing it.

Shoving the monster off of him, Tensei got up and dusted off his jeans. "Thanks for saving my life," he said.

"Now we can call it even," Cleon smirked, grabbing his hand. "Now let's rejoin the others."

Finishing off the eleventh mandrake, Yumeji growled when he saw the new mandrakes lumber toward his group. Behind him, the others regroup and turned to face this new threat. "There had got to be twenty four of them," he said without glancing at the others.

"That's too many!" Tatsu groaned. "I don't know about you guys that I was barely able to fight off the first mandrakes."

"Because of this stupid fog we cannot use our abilities," Amaito added.

Cleon gasped when he remembered what Rosaria have said about the fog. _"What you're breathing in is no ordinary fog. In fact, it's a fog that's currently negating your abilities."_

"Yumeji-san, Amaito-san," he said."Hold your breath."

Yumeji and Amaito looked at Cleon, confusion written on their faces. "What?" they said at the same time.

"Remember that this fog is keeping you from using your abilities?" Cleon explained. "If you hold in your breath, the fog would no longer affect you, right?"

Yumeji and Amaito looked at each other. "It's worth a shot." Amaito said, shrugging.

Nodding, Yumeji took a deep breath and held it just as the mandrakes began to charge. Suddenly, he unleashed a powerful shockwave that blew the first row of mandrakes to bits. The rest of the monsters stopped, their expressions unreadable, though one wouldn't be far from the truth if they said that the mandrakes were both shocked and afraid.

"Woot!" Tensei said, pumping his fist into the air. "We're back in business!"

"What?" Rosaria gasped, feeling shocked and angry. "This isn't possible! The fog was supposed to work while the mandrakes are still alive!"

Several more mandrakes screamed when spikes of earth and stone erupted out of the ground, impaling them. The rest of the mandrakes backed up slowly, realizing that the odds are now stacked against them. Clearly, they weren't well equipped to handle espers who can still use their abilities.

"I'd killed four and Yumeji had killed seven," Amaito gasped, turning to Cleon. "So, any way we can take them out quickly?"

Cleon sucked in air after holding his breath for a few seconds. "In fact, I do," he said. "Can you create an earthquake?"

"Yes, though it only powerful enough to tear down a shed."

"Go ahead and create one."

Holding in his breath, Amaito stumped the ground and watched as the ground began to shake and crack beneath him.

"Now, focus and direct the seismic waves toward the mandrakes," Cleon added. Sure enough, Amaito complied. The ground rumbled as the mini quake grew in strength.

"Now, " Cleon turned to Yumeji. "On the count of three, amplify the rumbling as quickly and as powerful as you can. One. Two. THREE!"

The rumbling, suddenly increased in strength by Yumeji's manipulation, erupted into a powerful, raging explosion of dirt and concrete. The remaining mandrakes were shredded instantly as the explosion swept across the enclosed area, leaving a swath of destruction in its wake.

When the dust settled, what were left of the mandrakes were chunks of roots and shredded leaves. Wiping dust off their clothes, the five friends braced themselves for battle when something erupted out of the ground. Coughing, they looked and saw a huge bud. The bud opened up into a flower, revealing an unscathed but extremely pissed off Rosaria.

"You worthless heathens!" she yelled, an eyebrow twitching in anger. "You think that you can humiliate me in such a way and get away with it? You dare impede on my plans? Soon, I will find you all, and when I do, I will grind you into fertilizer!"

"Beat it, Plant Lady, before I feed you to my mom." Tensei said, giving Rosaria a dismissively wave. "She's a vegan, by the way."

Rosaria chuckled derisively. She took out a handful of cream-colored seeds. "The next time we meet," she growled. "You'll be begging for mercy. You haven't seen the last of Rosaria Comneus!" Having said that, Rosaria slammed the seeds onto the ground. Each seed erupted into a dense cloud, obscuring the five students' view of Rosaria.

Yelping, the five friends covered their eyes with their arms and coughed, fanning the cloud away. However, when the cloud finally settled, Rosaria was nowhere in sight. In fact, the bodies of the mandrakes were gone. Even the ground on where they lay was dry. Beside the cracks in the ground and the dust coating the sides of the buildings enclosing the place, the area looked pretty unscathed.

"Is it me or did Rosalina just ninja'd us?" Tatsu wondered.

"_Rosaria_," Amaito corrected. "Anyway, we got to inform Anti-Skill."

"And tell them what? That evil plant monsters lead by a deranged nun attacked us?" Tensei questioned, waving his hand around the empty scene. "We don't have proof, man."

"They could _investigate_, Tensei-san."

"At best, they could believe that we're making stuff up and let us off with a warning."

"At worst, they could take a look at the cracks I'd made on the ground and think that I was trying to collapse some buildings," Amaito added, whimpering in nervousness. "I can't spend months or even weeks in jail. I have a life too."

Dusting off his hands, Yumeji yawned. "What we can do is to go to a pay phone and give Anti-Skill an anonymous phone call. We could tell them that an esper, magician, or whoever that woman wants to call herself is planning to destroy the city. That will put the city into high alert, the woman will eventually be caught, and life will go on as normal."

"Yes…" Cleon breathed, feeling shaken. Though he had heard of the feats magicians are capable of, he had never met one personally, especially one who wanted to destroy a city. Somehow, he felt that Rosaria haven't unleashed her full potential. Surely the woman who can destroy a city wouldn't lose to five students if she was actually giving her all!

"Oh, that reminds me," Yumeji turned to Cleon. "Thanks for saving our lives, Cleon-san. This is the second time you'd helped us."

"It wouldn't be the last," Cleon said, smiling.

"No doubt it isn't!" Tensei said, smirking. "Maybe there is something more to your ability. Oh, by the way, thanks."

"Thanks, even though I'm having that feeling myself."

"The fact that it's not tangible like my ability or that of Yumeji is what's confusing," Amaito added. "Again, thanks."

"Thanks," Tatsu joined in. "Now that Rose Woman's days are numbered, let's get this over with. I just want to forget all of this."

"Me too," Yumeji smiled. "Now, let's give Anti-Skill the phone call and go back to the dorms."

"Unaberu, here we come!" Tensei shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "About damn time!"

"Um, guys?" Tatsu nervously groaned. In his hands was the AC adapter…or what was left of it. Bits of plastic and wiring dangled from the charger, which was covered in slime. "I think that one of the mandrakes mistook this for a snack when it fell out of my pocket."

A loud, collective groan arose from the group and the sound of four hands slapping against four faces echoed down the nearby alley.

* * *

><p><strong>Nagatenjōki Dorm B<strong>

**Room 207-B**

**12:16 pm**

Cleon gasped in surprised at the Unaberu's sudden increase in speed. For one thing, the powerful router usually takes only a few minutes to reestablish a network with the other's computers. However, this time, it took only a few seconds to do so, much to the surprise of everyone. Another thing is that it not only establishes a network but actually amplifies each computer's Wi-Fi signals, allowing them to trade data with each other and to access the Internet at a much faster rate. However, never before had the Unaberu ever done so at a faster rate. At first, Tatsu was worried that the Tokiwadai girls may have tampered with the router. However, Cleon reassured him that the Unaberu is designed to become unusable if opened by anyone without the right equipment, therefore preventing the router from receiving any unauthorized modifications.

After creating a network password, which would've _prevented_ the Tokiwadai girls from using the Unaberu had Tatsu bothered doing so, Yumeji added Cleon's computer to the router. Accessing the internet, Cleon and the others typed away, each going to different websites. Amaito was reading online manga while Yumeji was browsing through photos after photos of martial artists from various countries. As Tatsu was playing online games, Tensei was practically drooling as he accessed the city's database, reading the track record of an Anti-Skill agent named Aiho Yomikawa. However, Cleon was drumming his fingers on his laptop, unsure on what to do in the Web.

"Hey, Tatsu-san," Amaito asked, scratching his head. "Do you think that the Tokiwadai girls would've figured out by now that it was us who took back our Unaberu? I mean, what are the odds that just anybody else would know exactly where to steal it?"

Tatsu shrugged. "I don't know, Amaito-san. If we are lucky, they would never know that we have it."

"Otherwise," Tensei added. "_Someone_ would simply hand it back to them."

"For the last time, I didn't hand it to them on my own will!" Tatsu groaned, very irritated. "Someone _made_ me do it."

"Whatever," Tensei said dismissively. "Anyway, do any of you guys know anything about Aiho Yomikawa-san, including what she loves to eat?

"You mean that tough, aggressive, and brutal Anti-Skill officer?" Amaito said, scratching his head. "She's mean _and_ a pure headache."

"Yeah," Yumeji agreed, shuddering. "You won't believe how pissed off she can get until you spill ice cream all over her uniform. I'm never doing that again."

"Oh, what a woman she is!" Tensei breathed, sighing dreamily. "To be caressed by her womanly touch, to be spoken to by her angelic voice. To feel the wind in one's hair as she swing one around in pure ecstasy. Oh, what other woman could a guy ever hope for?"

"You're still in love with the same woman who forcefully wrestled you to the ground simply because she mistook you for that perp who robbed that bank three years ago?" Tatsu asked incredulously.

"Ever since that time," Tensei continued, clearly not paying attention. "I often wonder whether we are destined to be together. It's a tragedy that I cannot foretell the future."

"Tensei-san," Amaito gasped. "She's old enough to be your mom!"

"Age doesn't matter when you're in love. Fate; however, is either kind or unkind. The Tree Diagram may be able to predict the weather but it cannot predict lovers' fates."

Cleon jumped, blinking. _Tree Diagram?_ The memory of the vision last night began to return full force. "By 'Tree Diagram'," he asked Tensei. "Do you mean that huge weather satellite that's hovering at a geostationary position over Academy City?"

"Of course, Cleon-san," Tensei breathed dreamily, still thinking about Aiho. "In fact, it makes the Doppler radar look like a communications student's science project. It can predict up to a year's worth of weather and can even pinpoint the exact locations of tornadoes anywhere in the world, months before they actually occur. It is never wrong about anything."

Cleon frowned. Of all the more intriguing things in the world, why would he have a vision about a weather station? Why would the mean Tokiwadai supervisor store the Tree Diagram onto her flash drive? Could the Tree Diagram be just a weather satellite or could it be something more? Why did he suddenly have that vision when he touched that flash drive? It never happened before. The more Cleon though about it, the more convinced he became that, perhaps, this was a developing side effect of Mental Compute. Beside, receiving information just as a computer would makes a lot more sense than just having a vision.

"So," Amaito said, drumming his fingers on his laptop. "Do you guys think that Anti-Skill would find and stop Rosaria before she destroys the city?"

"Sure," Yumeji reassured. "There is nothing that they can't handle. Heh, not even the Railgun can defeat them!"

"Yeah," Tensei said, yawning. "The Railgun may be pretty but Aiho is prettier."

"Man," Tatsu said, shaking his head. "You got some problems. You need help,_ pronto_."

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the dorms.<strong>

**5:00pm**

After spending hours accessing the internet, the five friends decided to watch a horror flick. However, the group soon realized that there was no more popcorn and decided to draw straws to choose which of them should go and get some more. After a quarrel over whose straw is actually the shortest, which ended in Tatsu getting shoved into the ventilation shaft by a greatly annoyed Yumeji, Cleon volunteered to go. That was ten minutes ago.

Now Cleon was waiting at the crossing, the cool breeze ruffling his white dress shirt. There weren't much people out here, save for an increased number of Anti-Skill officers. Three minutes ago, he had learned that Anti-Skill had issued a threat advisory, warning civilians to travel in groups and to report any suspicious activity.

As Cleon waited for the 'Walk' signal, someone stopped beside him. Yawning, Cleon glanced at the person beside him, him eyes widening slightly when he recognized the person standing next to him. It was the girl he saw earlier, the long-haired girl known as Saiten. Saiten removed strands of her hair from her eyes and glanced down at Cleon. "Hey," she breathed. "You're one of the boys who passed by us this morning."

"Ah yes," Cleon chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "I remembered you."

The 'Walk' signal flicked on and Cleon and Saiten crossed the street. "You must be a new student here," Saiten said, smirking. "So, how'd you like Academy City?"

"It's a great city," Cleon admitted. "Though this is only my third day here, I have much to learn here."

"Which school you're enrolled into?"

"Nagatenjōki Academy. How about you?"

"Sakugawa Middle School," she said. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"Cleon."

"The name's Ruiko," she said, shaking Cleon's hand. "But everybody calls me by my last name, Saiten."

"Nice to meet you, Saiten," Cleon said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you too, Cleon-chan."

Cleon blinked in confusion. "_Chan_?" he wondered out loud.

Saiten giggled. "It's an honorific for someone who you're endearing, such as a little brother or sister, for example. Besides, you're a few inches taller than Uiharu."

"She must be your little sister, then."

"Well, not exactly, though I really wish that she was," Saitan covered her mouth and gave the loudest and longest yawn Cleon had ever witnessed. Hell, she makes his older brother's yawn sound like a whisper.

Stretching her arms, Saiten turned to Cleon. "Well, I got to go. The others are waiting for me. I'll see you next time, Cleon-chan."

"I'll see you too, Saiten-san," Cleon said, watching Saiten walk down a sidewalk, eventually rounding a corner. Yawning himself, Cleon glanced down at his watch. It was 5:19 pm. Taking in a deep breath, he continued walking. Nearby, a couple of Anti-Skill officers gave him a once over but, other than that, neither of them were interested enough to do anymore than just that.

He was just passing by an alley when two pairs of muscular hands grabbed his arms and torso and yanked him into the alley. Struggling to no avail, Cleon tried to cry out, only for a meaty hand to cover his mouth. The hand smelled strongly of dirt and burnt rubber. He could do nothing else but to whimper as the men dragged him deeper into the dark alley.

Suddenly, the hand covering his mouth lifted and a black, cloth bag was pulled over his face and drawn close around his neck. His arms were forcibly pulled behind him and, for a moment, Cleon thought that his arms were about to be dislocated. His hands were then tied together and Cleon was hoisted on someone's shoulder. Cleon gave a muffled yelp as the person carried him off like a sack of potatoes.

As time went by, Cleon wasn't sure about where the men were taking him or what they have in store for him, though he estimated that he had been carried for at least fifteen minutes. By the varied pitches of his kidnappers' breath sounds and grunts, he estimated that there were about four or five of them. Cleon took a deep breath, which was cut short by the man's horrible body odor. Cleon then concluded that the man hasn't bathed for at least four to five days, give or take approximately ten hours.

Cleon was carried for about ten additional minutes before he was finally thrown onto something hard and bouncy. He grunted when he rolled onto what felt like concrete, coughing on dust that managed to seep into the cloth bag covering his head. Two strong hands then yanked him off the ground and sat him back onto the bouncy material.

When the cloth bag was removed, Cleon gasped in the warm, moist air, which smelled of rubber and dust. Looking down, he found himself sitting on a pile of old, dirty tires. A grunt caused him to look up and he found himself surrounded by five, tough-looking men who towered over him. Each of them sported short, spikey hair styled and colored in different ways. The majority of them wore muscle shirts and baggy jeans while the rest wore simple t-shirts and torn jeans.

A sound from his left caused him to turn and come face to face with a sixth man, a man who Cleon never hoped to meet again. It was the man whose crew he and Tensei had lured from the pile of discarded junk, the same man whose face he shot a small bag of chalk into. Now, it was clearly the same man who can beat Cleon to a pulp now if he so desired. He was wearing a worn, black, leather jacket and a pair of faded jeans. His hair, just as before, was sand colored and spikey.

Sneering, the man lit a cigarette and, after drawing in the smoke, blew it into Cleon's face. Cleon coughed and sneezed as the putrid stuff entered his nostrils. Not only was this man a kidnapper but he's breaking one of Academy City's laws. Good thing that Cleon isn't asthmatic.

"I pretty sure that you remember me, _boy_," he said, taking another pull and let smoke pour out of his mouth. "In fact, after what you did to me yesterday afternoon, you probably feel sorry, now that there's no one around to save you."

The man took a step closer, bringing his face within inches of Cleon's. If the man's horrible breath didn't faze Cleon, his intense stare certainly did. Cleon barely resisted the urge to push the man away. "Though I wish that that little, red-haired demon that insulted me was also here," he continued. "I'm pretty sure that me ripping him apart would do much good in getting you to cooperate."

"Cooperate…" Cleon breathed. "For what?"

The man stood straight up, pulling on his cigarette. By his slightly annoyed look and pose, Cleon could easily tell that he wasn't pleased about what he have to do. Sighing, he spoke, "If it was up to me, I'll beat the living hell out of you right here for shooting chalk into my eyes. However, one of our gang members apparently saw how you and your friends fought off the Green Nun's plant monsters."

Cleon's eyes widened. He had never thought that anyone else was around when Rosaria had trapped them inside that dead area and forced them to fight off those mandrakes. Cleon looked at the man closely. Call it intuition but Cleon have a feeling that he knows more about Rosaria than he allowed. "Go on," Cleon said.

"That woman have been _really_ troublesome ever since she arrived at this city two years ago. Every day, when we are not fighting you annoying ability users, we are busy waging a little war against this 'Rosaria,' as she calls herself. Though she claims to be working in the interest of the Roman Catholic Church, which 'supposedly' is at peace with Academy City, our leader believes that she is a renegade magician. A loose cannon who wants to destroy this city, perhaps. Though she is much too powerful to defeat directly, we barely managed to keep whatever plan she's cooking up at bay until now."

Cleon took a deep breath, realizing that, if these men have been fighting Rosaria for two years, they have been relatively, if not totally, successful. Still one thing bugged him about this. "How many people know about this?" he asked the man. "I mean, why didn't you inform Anti-Skill?"

Growling, the man forcibly backhanded Cleon, causing him to lose his balance. Tumbling off the pile of tires, Cleon grunted as he landed on the ground, his struck cheek reddening. The man reached down and grabbed Cleon's shirt collar and jerked him back onto his feet. Grunting, he pressed Cleon against the pile. "Don't… ever…," he warned through gritted teeth. "Mention that name again."

Sighing, the man let go of Cleon's shirt. "We and Anti-Skill get along just as fine as oil and water. They're more likely to arrest us as they are to stop Rosaria! Even if we were best friends, it's best if no one knows what going on here. Rosaria is encroaching into _our_ territory and the last thing we want is for Anti-Skills and _'heroic'_ ability users to flood our alleys. This is _our _war to fight and to win."

"But," Cleon reasoned, feeling nervous. "If you don't get help, this war will spread throughout this city and Academy City will fall."

The man sneered. "That's where you come in."

Cleon blinked in surprised. "Whaat?"

"Up until now, no one had ever been able to last a long time against Rosaria's monsters, let along as part of a five-person group. No one had been able to destroy so much monsters in such a small period of time. Yes, don't look so surprised. That gang member told our leader how you was able to figure out a way to deal with those monsters. To sum it all up, our leader believes that if you can save your friends from becoming fertilizer, you can help us win this war."

"I don't know…" Cleon trailed off, thinking. "Seems like a lot."

"Of course, if you refuse…" Suddenly, the man grabbed Cleon's throat and pressed him against the pile of tires. Cleon gasped when he pressed the edge of what looked like a large, serrated edge combat knife against his abdomen. He winced when the man made a small cut on the skin, drawing a drop of blood. "I'll simply gut you where you stand."

"O-okay," Cleon choked out, unable to breath. "I'll help you guys w-win."

"Good," the man sneered as he let Cleon go. "Now, let's get down to business. Guys, bring him along."

Despite the fact that Cleon could walk, he was picked up and carried like a sack of potatoes. On top of it all, he was carried by the same man who is as strong as he smelled, which is saying pretty much. His body odor; however, was now only a weak, mind-numbing perfume compared to the sense of dread Cleon now felt as he slowly begin to realize what he had just been dragged into.


	6. 1st Encounter with the Other Side, Pt 3

**Chapter 5: First Encounter with the Other Side, Part 3**

**Nagatenjōki Dorm B**

**Room 207-B**

**5:46 pm**

Tensei sighed for the umpteenth time as he continued to pace across the dorm room. Yawning, Amaito was peering out through the window while Tatsu was busy picking his nose. Last but not least, Yumeji was watching the online news, tracking the city's progress in looking for Rosaria. Obviously; though, it was going nowhere.

"How long does it usually takes for someone to go and buy some popcorn and to come back here?" Tatsu asked, wiping his fingers on his shirt.

"About ten minutes, especially at this time of day," Amaito answered. "I hope that Cleon's okay."

"Maybe he took a detour or something," Yumeji reasoned, clicking away at the computer. "Anti-skill is all over this city, after all."

"Or maybe Rosaria has kidnapped him," Tensei said, worrying. "Maybe he's becoming plant mulch right at this moment."

Tatsu stopped whatever he was doing and looked at Tensei. "Oh, come on, Tensei-san!" he said, feeling unsure himself. "Rosaria would never expose herself unless she wants to get shot. Plus, Cleon's too smart to go down an alley by himself."

"Yeah, I know..." Tensei said, sighing. "However, do you think that those thugs, who we messed with yesterday, have intercepted and kidnapped him?"

Yumeji shrugged. "I hope not. "

Tensei continued to pace around the room. "Well," he finally said. "If he's not back in ten minutes, I'm going after him."

Yumeji turned his head and gave a small smile. "No," he said. "_We're_ going after him."

"Yeah!" Amaito said, sticking his chest out. "No one messes with our friend!"

"And _nobody_ keeps us from watching a horror movie while eating a big and tasty bowl of popcorn!" Tatsu added, also sticking his chest out. "To watch a movie without popcorn is madness!"

The others turned and stared at Tatsu. "You're thinking about popcorn at a time like this?" Yumeji questioned incredulously.

"Well..." Tatsu muttered nervously, placing his index fingers together. He then shrugged. "A boy can't be wrong about popcorn, right? I mean, I'd rather eat popcorn than Tensei's cooking."

"WHY YOU...!" Tensei roared as he launched himself at Tatsu, his fingers curled like claws, his eyes ablaze, and his teeth as 'sharp' as those of the Tokiwadai supervisor.

The sounds of screaming and crashing flowed out of the dorm window and were soon drowned out by the afternoon wind.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''

**Unknown Location, somewhere in Academy City**

**5:53 pm**

Cleon grunted when the man finally and unceremoniously dumped him onto the ground. Sneezing, he stood up and was just beginning to dust himself off when he was pushed forcibly forward. All around him, additional thugs watched him closely as he entered the spacious area, their eyes daring him to try anything foolish. In fact, one look at their individual heights and a silent headcount destroyed any desire to escape...at least right way.

Cleon opened his mouth in a silent gasp as he looked around in the open space, which was formed by buildings spaced apart, much like where he and his friends faced Rosaria, except that it was much larger. Shacks made of sheet metal were lined up against the far wall. Graffiti were drawn all over the sides of the buildings, some depicting the Anti-skill and Judgment emblems being crossed out by red X's. Large quilts were slung from the uppermost edge of one building to another overhead, forming a canopy that all but darkened the space. Hundreds, if not thousands, of small metallic shards glittered in the sparse sunlight as they hanged from the canopy by fishing lines, swaying in the breeze.

"Those bits of metal up there disrupt any radio signals that try to enter or leave this place," the man sneered when he saw Cleon looking up. "This means that you cannot call your friends for help."

Cleon gave a silent sigh as he was pushed toward a group of about eight men gathering around a long table. Shiny objects were sprawled across its surface, reflecting glints of light from a nearby spotlight. A closer look revealed that the objects in question were not only brand new but were even high-tech, as if they were stolen from a research facility.

"Several days ago," the man explained. "These awesome parts were found right on our doorstep. I mean, they were just _there_, all piled up inside of a large, wooden crate. As first, I thought that it was a trap that the Anti-Skill was using to catch us. However, I came to believe that someone, who has a lot of pull in this city, is actually on our side and have secretly given us these bits so that we can bring our daily struggle with you arrogant ability users to a whole new level."

Cleon wrinkled his brow in confusion. Who, of all of the most affluent and powerful administrators of this city, would help a bunch of gangsters fight the students? What is the motive behind all of this? Cleon glanced at the items on the table and shook his head slowly. These men are having just as much luck at building anything useful out of the bits as dividing by zero. "Did this person also give you instructions on how to put these pieces together?"

The man shrugged. "Well, we had the manual just for a few minutes after we opened the box until some dumbass decided to use it as a napkin to blow his nose. He also has the audacity to throw it into a burning barrel afterwards." The man shrugged. "Now, you see how much we really are screwed."

Cleon gave another silent sigh. "Who are you guys?"

The man chuckled derisively. "We are the shield that protects the Level 0's of this city and the sword that strikes down the arrogant ability users that oppresses them. Though we are considered thugs, we are the real heroes! We are the ... Great Gang, one of the many gangs universally known as Skill-Outs."

Despite his circumstances, Cleon managed to smirk, which caught the man off guard. "I'm pretty sure that your gang is not named the 'Great Gang'," he said before the man could speak.

The man gave a frustrated sigh. "What makes you think so?" he growled, feeling more embarrassed than angry. "It's none of your business!"

"You was about to say something else before substituting "Great' instead, right?"

After another sigh, the man finally exploded. "Alright, alright!" he roared, throwing his hands up in frustration. "It's the Gekota Gang, okay? We're called the Gekota Gang! Despite being a wise, _male_ leader, our leader really loves Gekota and had _actually_ given this gang that name, as a result. Now, do you see why we can't be the tough guys we are while, at the same time, telling everyone that we're the 'Gekota Gang'? They're more likely to laugh at us than to run away! There, you're happy?"

Cleon blinked in confusion. He then glanced at the graffiti painted on the walls, noticing for the first time that they included several symbols that resembled a smiling frog's face. "Who's Gekota?"

The man gave a deep sigh of relief. In fact, a large sweat drop was falling down the back of his head. Nearby, the other gangsters also sighed. "Don't worry about stupid ass things, boy," he finally said. "Anyway, let's get back to-"

"No, no, no!" One of the gangsters at the table yelled, interrupting the man. "That...thingamajig goes with that...thingy over there! You're not doing it right!"

Sighing, the gangster he was talking to slammed his fists on the table. "Who died and made you the brains of this table?" he challenged, standing up. "Hell, even a notebook is too hard for you to understand! A _blank _notebook! _'Oh, look at the thin, blue lines and the fat, white lines between them,'_ you say. _'I know that it's possible to read between the lines but which of the lines am I supposed to write in?'_"

The table of gangsters erupted into boisterous laughter. Growling, the first gangster rose to his feet. "Your mother wept on the day she found out that your brain was 85% bone and 15% uselessness!"

Growling the second gangster leaned forward. "You dumb son of a-"

"ENOUGH!" the man yelled, silencing the two. Both men glared at each other for a moment before finally sitting down.

The man sighing again and spoke, still agitated. "Listen up, guys! This is the boy the leader speaks of. The boy who, along with his friends, has defeated those plant monsters the Green Nun often sends against us!" Cleon cringed as the eyes of the other gangsters bored into him. Though the gangsters seemed to hold him in silent awe, he still sensed the mistrust that these guys seemed to have for ability users on a daily basis.

"This boy will help us win this war, _tonight_," the man continued. The other gangsters nodded, still unsure about how a short, fifteen year old boy could ever bring them victory. "Now, make some space for...what's your name, kid?"

"Cleon," Cleon spat out.

"Cleon!" the man said to the others before pushing Cleon toward the table. "Now, help those kind men put together whatever the mystery person sent us."

Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, Cleon turned to face the man. "How-how do you know that I would be able to put these parts together in the first place, even without the manual, Mr. ...?" he questioned.

The man shrugged. "Just a gut feeling from the leader, I guess, " he admitted. "It may sound crazy, even for me, but he had never been wrong before. For your sake; however, don't be the first to prove otherwise."

Gulping down his fear, Cleon was about to take his place at the table when the man continued, "The name's Shinataki. Don't call me Mr. Anything, anymore: I'm not _that_ old."

''''''''''''''''''''

**Nagatenjōki Dorm B**

**Room 207-B**

**6:13 pm**

Tensei practiced making the meanest grimaces and sneers he could as he looked into the bathroom mirror. Gritting his teeth, he then tried to make a feral growl, which ended up with him sounding more like a man moaning in pain than the tiger he hoped to mimic. Frowning, he applied more of the war paint on his cheeks and growled again. Nothing new happened.

"It'll take more than war paint to make a man sound like a tiger," Yumeji said behind him, causing Tensei to jump up.

Breathing fast, Tensei sighed and turned around. "You scared me, Yumeji-san!"

Shifting his eyes to the camo pants, the t-shirt, which depicted the rising sun and tiger logo of _Go Japan!_ sportswear, and then at his white hachimaki, which showed the rising sun motif. Yumeji shook his head slowly and chuckled. "We're not going to war, Tensei-san!"

"Hell yeah, we are at war, Yumeji-san!" Tensei growled, cracking his neck. "This war began when Rosaria took Cleon-san!"

Yumeji sighed. "We're not even sure if it's _Rosaria_ who took him!" he reasoned. "It could be those guys who'd chased you two yesterday."

Turning back to the mirror, Tensei got down into a martial arts pose. "Whoever the perps are," he said, making his best furious face. "Tensei the Tiger will make them pay!"

A knock at the door caused both boys to jump. "Come in!" Yumeji called. "This is a public bathroom!"

"Only for noisy boys such as yourselves," the sweet, all too familiar voice of the Nagatenjōki dorm supervisor rang out. "You guys are too loud. Others are trying to study."

"Who would study on a _weekend_?" Tensei questioned, confused.

"My son and daughter back home would," she replied. "I've explained to them how important it was to do so."

"I feel sorry for them," Tensei muttered under his breath.

The supervisor's voice suddenly became cold, much like that of the Tokiwadai supervisor. "What was that smart remark, Tensei-chan?"

Tensei gulped in fear. "I mean, 'I want to study like them.'"

"Thought so," that sweet voice returned. "Anyway, keep it down, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Yumeji and Tensei said at the same time.

Waiting until the steps of the dorm supervisor disappear, Tensei breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I'm finished," he said.

"About time, too," Yumeji said. Tensei swore that he was blushing "Let's go join the others."

'''''''''

**Outside, in the Nagatenjōki Dorms Garden**

**19 minutes later...**

The four friends arrived at a bench and began discussing their plan while several Anti-Skill squad cars continued their rounds along the nearby street. Beside Tensei, who figured that he only needed a broomstick, his slingshot, and a pair of nunchuks, which consisted of two sticks attached to a rope, to fight with, Yumeji was armed with a wooden katana, as well as a hunting bow and a quiver full of blunt and sharp-pointed arrows, which he somehow managed to sneak into the academy dorms. It was a birthday present from his father.

Wearing, of all things, a bicycle helmet, Amaito was armed with a large can of plant killer with straps, allowing him to carry it on his back. A long hose ran from the base of the can to a nozzle at the other end. He was also armed with a rubber mallet, as well as a pump-action shotgun... sticker on the handle itself. Hell, even he wanted to look badass.

However, none of them were as armed as Tatsu. Armed to the teeth with stink bombs, bags of itching powder, firecrackers he once saved for a vacation last summer, a stick, several spray bottles of plant killer (in the event that Amaito ever runs out), a lighter, a slingshot, a trashcan lid he planned to use as a shield, and a grappling hook (read: a rope tied to a bundle of metal coat hanger hooks, as well as a small sandbag used as a weight), Tatsu was really prepared for war. He also wore an old leather coat to hide the items and a pair of shades. Last but not least, Tatsu after wore the same hachimaki as Tensei, as well as a matching bandana that covered the bottom half of his face. The hachimaki barely hid the large, foot-shaped bruise he received minutes ago, courtesy of Tensei.

"So," Yumeji continued. "Since we would either be fighting those thugs or Rosaria, it's obvious that we would have to be very careful."

"And we would also need a lot of luck in finding Cleon-san," Tatsu added. "The fact that I couldn't reach his phone means that he definitely has been kidnapped and taken to where no signal could ever be sent out or received, such as a tunnel or some other place. He would've called by now, if otherwise."

"Should we be using that helicopter he'd built last night?" Amaito questioned. The helicopter was still underneath Cleon's bed. "I mean, it would save us a lot of trouble."

"_Sure_, we can," Tensei said sarcastically. "If, of course, we don't mind wasting our time searching one place when Cleon-san is in another. We don't even know _where_ he's being held."

"Tensei's right," Yumeji said. "We would have to go look for Cleon-san ourselves."

"Besides," Tatsu added. "That helicopter is too big to carry around and we only got about fifteen minutes before the curfew takes effect. We need to move _now_."

Amaito sighed. Yumeji reached over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Amaito-san," he reassured. "We'll bring Cleon back. I promise."

"Right," Tatsu added. "We'll bring him back, with or without a bag of popcorn."

"Anyway," Yumeji continued, sitting straight up and ignoring Tatsu's remark. "Here's what we will do: we will go look for Cleon-san, find a way to bring him back, and bring him back here. Got it?" Amaito, Tensei, and Tatsu nodded.

"Good, now let's go-" Yumeji was about to stand up when Tensei cleared his throat.

"Now," he spoke, stretching his arms. "All we need is a group name."

The others looked at him, dumbfound. "_What?_" Yumeji breathed.

"Seriously," Tensei shrugged. "I mean, it won't look right if we go off to rescue Cleon-san without having a group name. We'll just look like a group of losers who are just going to the corner store."

Tatsu sighed and gave himself a face palm. "_Man_," he exasperated. "We don't have time for this! We're students, not a gang of superheroes!"

"Yeah!" Amaito agreed. "We'll make up a group name later."

"No, guys, he's right," Yumeji defended. "I mean, if we're forced to identify ourselves, it's best to give the thugs or Rosaria a group name instead of our individual names. That way, it'll keep them from searching the city's database for a certain 'Amaito' or 'Tatsu.'"

Both Amaito and Tatsu sighed. "Alright, what do you want us to be called?" Tatsu asked Tensei.

Tensei gave Tatsu a cat-like grin. "How does 'The Esper Squad' sound?"

Tatsu gave a frustrated groan and threw his hands down. "You're bad with names, Tensei-san! Only Yumeji-san, Amaito-san, and maybe Cleon-san are the real espers!"

"How about 'The Students'?" Amaito suggested. "Plain and simple."

Yumeji chuckled. "You're not getting how this works, right?" he questioned. "'The Vigilantes' is a totally epic name!"

Tatsu snickered in spite his frustration. "So, are you planning to go to the Anti-Skill and yell out, 'Hey, we're the Vigilantes! Our friend had been kidnapped and we're going to get him back! Now, stay out of our way!'?"

"That will surely end with us getting arrested," Amaito chuckled.

"How about the 'Thug Stompers' or the 'Weed Killers'?" Tensei suggested.

"Tell that to the thugs or Rosaria, respectively, and see what happens" Yumeji warned, grinning. "You won't do that again, I guarantee it."

"How about the 'Prepare-To-Die-Horribly Battalion'?" Tensei suggested.

Blue, vertical lines of nervousness appeared on the other's foreheads. "Um," Tatsu muttered nervously. "We're trying to rescue Cleon-san, not get killed in horrible ways imaginably."

"What about 'The Guys Who Eat Popcorn'?" Tatsu suggested.

"_You're still obsessed with popcorn?"_ Amaito asked incredulously.

"I got it!," Tensei shouted, an idea suddenly popping inside his head. The others turned to listen. "What about 'The Newbies'? We got to start from somewhere and work our way up to the top."

"Yeah," Yumeji nodded. "That could work."

"Of course," Amaito agreed. "I mean, this is our first time doing something like this. Of course that's an appropriate group name."

"Am I the only one who sees something wrong with 'The Newbies'?" Tatsu questioned, feeling frustrated.

Tensei shrugged. "It's a hell lot better than 'The Guys Who Eat Popcorn'. Why are you so upset, anyway?"

"Does the name 'The Newbies' implies that we're noobs who can't do anything right to save our own lives?"

Tensei shrugged. "Who cares? Let go rescue Cleon-san!"

"Right," Yumeji said, looking at his watch. "We've wasted almost five minutes coming up with a group name. Let's go!"

As the others begin to leave, Tatsu stayed behind for a moment and shook his head slowly. "This is complete craziness," he muttered to himself as he joined the others. "I really think that the writer is purposely withholding the popcorn just to make me suffer."

''''''''''''''''''''''

**Cleon's Location**

**6:59 pm**

Despite the fact that the thugs would rather smash him to bits than to work with him, Cleon found them more than willing to follow his directions in putting the pieces together. After all, they've been working on this project ever since they first received the pieces from the mystery benefactor. Also, the fact that it could possibly be a weapon that could even the odds between them and the espers who supposedly look down on them seemed to fuel their ambition.

Despite the fact that the pieces themselves are clearly high-tech and could easily blanket two king-sized beds, Cleon understood the way each piece can connect to each other. The way each of the various couplings was built reminded him of a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece seemed to be designed in a certain way so that the completed product can and will work, without the need for making any electrical connections. Whoever the strange benefactor is, one thing is certain: that person obviously knew that the people he or she was sending the parts to weren't professional technicians.

One piece of the barely finished product reminded Cleon of a prism, a glass object that can break white light into its colored components in the light spectrum. However, the glass seemed to be mauve colored, as if other substances had been added to the glass during its manufacture.

Curious, Cleon reached over to the strange prism and gently stroked the slick surface. A jolt shot up his hand and Cleon jerked back his hand in surprised. Within seconds, a hazy image of a strange molecule appeared in his conscious. Though the image disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, Cleon remembered seeing the molecule somewhere in the past, when he had accidentally touched some sort of powder found in a bag near an old church. The priest there once said that the powder was used to temporarily neutralize the abilities of espers and disrupt the rituals of magicians long ago, when the forces of science and magic once warred with each other.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" Shinataki questioned, causing Cleon to jump. "Did a bee sting you in your ass?"

Turning to face the thug behind him, Cleon saw that Shinataki was just as impatient as the others. "N-no, sir," he stammered. "It's nothing."

Sighing, Shinataki grunted. "Sure, it's nothing. Anyway, can you pick up the pace? We want to hit the Green Nun while the Anti-Skill bastards have her trapped inside the alleys. We may not have such a good chance to strike again. Also, don't call me 'sir'."

"I understand, sir-Shinataki, but the pieces much be put together correctly or the finished product won't work. We need more time to complete the project."

"Then complete it a_ little_ faster," Shinataki said with finality. "You want to save this city, right?"

At first, Cleon was about to protest but decided to forget about it. Impatient people are really too bull-headed to understand the concept of time, anyway. "We'll move faster, then," he finally said.

Shinataki smirked. "That's all I wanted to hear, Cleon."

Turning to continue the project, Cleon gave a silent sigh. As soon as he helps the gang defeat Rosaria for good, he is so going to leave these thugs behind.

"_So much for a horrible weekend,"_ he thought drearily.

''''''''''''''''

**A random alley, somewhere in Academy City**

**7:20 pm**

While Cleon was busy helping the Gekota Gang assemble the mysterious device, the Newbies (mainly Tensei) were busy interrogating a hapless guy deep in the alley. The fact that the guy in question was dressed like a delinquent didn't seem to help him out either. Of course, one wouldn't be far from the truth if he or she says that Tensei is... mentally unstable by nature.

The young man screamed as he was thrown into a row of trashcans, Garbage spilled all over the ground. As the man brushed greasy napkins off his head, the younger, red-haired boy grabbed him by his collar and yanked him onto his feet. Despite being a bit shorter, the boy has the strength of a man.

"WHERE IS HE?" Tensei growled, forcibly pressing the man against the wall. "We have ways of making you talk!"

"I don't know!" the man grasped. "I don't know who you're talking about!"

"Wrong answer!" With a forceful yank, Tensei threw the man into a pile of wooden planks that were leaning against the wall. As the man choked on dust, Tensei grabbed his collar again and, raising him a few feet off the ground, brought his face about a few inches from his. He then began to twitch his eyes furiously. "You see my eyes twitching, huh? That means that my sanity is _really_ close to breaking. Do you really want to see what happens when my sanity breaks?"

"Since when had it ever remained intact?" Tatsu muttered.

"Please don't hurt me!" the man pleaded. "I have a family, man! I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just a man who wants to-"

"SILENCE!" Tensei shouted, silencing the man. "You expect me to believe that? I'll kill you, convict, just like I killed...um...what was his name...ah yes, Hamster_Bullet on Call of Fury Online! Do NOT play with me!"

The man cocked his head in confusion. "You play Call of Fury, too?"

Tensei shrugged. "I'm really good at it, though the American and Russian players are a bunch of jerk offs who's much harder to beat than the local players, but that's not the point!"

"Come on, Tensei-san," Yumeji said calmly, sighing. "This man is unrelated to those who took Cleon-san."

Tensei let go of the man's collar, causing him to fall to the ground with an audible _*Crunch*._ "Don't fall for his tricks, Yumeji-san!" Tensei warned. "This is exactly what the bad guys do in the movies! They make you believe that they're telling you the truth and, when your back is turned, blast a hole or two into it."

"Yumeji-san's right," Amaito defended. "This has got to be illegal, man!"

"I'm temporary insane!" Tensei shot back. "It's all right."

"_Right_," Tatsu muttered sarcastically. "Sure, and the writer's female."

"What's with you and this 'writer' bullcrap, anyway? Tensei questioned Tatsu.

Tatsu sighed. "Don't you get it, guys?" he groaned. "Our whole lives are a big story. This whole thing is a chapter! We're in a story that's written by some guy in a four bedroom house in America or something. You're probably doing exactly what he's writing!"

Sighing, Amaito placed a knowing hand on Tatsu's left shoulder. "Tatsu-san," he said slowly. "I understand that you're having some sort of existential crisis but the idea of someone writing our lives is craziness."

"Had it occurred to you that you're saying _exactly_ what the writer wants you to say?" Tatsu questioned Amaito levelly. "It's a conspiracy, I tell you!"

Amaito blinked. "Geez, I've never really thought about that."

"Alright, that's enough!" Tensei cut in, raising the barely conscious man by his collar again. "Did you see anybody carry Cleon-san off somewhere? Were they either a bunch of dirty bastards or was it just a red-haired nun wearing green?"

The man groaned as he tried to recall a past memory. "Now that you...um...mentioned it, I think that I saw a group of people run past me almost an hour ago. One of them seemed to have something slung over his shoulder. It looked a bit too narrow to be a sack of potatoes, though. I think that it was a body."

This got the Newbies' attention. "Tell us where they carried him off to." Yumeji said.

"I don't know," the man admitted, gulping in fear as Yumeji struggled to keep Tensei for punching him in the face. The man then pointed further down the alley. "It was too dark to see clearly. However, I was about a twelve minute walk down that way when I saw them."

Nodding to Tensei, Yumeji gasped when he let go of the man, causing him to land on the concrete again with an audible _*Crunch*._ This time; however, the man lay on the ground, unconscious.

"You could've set him down gently!" Yumeji said tensely.

Tensei shrugged. "A nod doesn't communicate everything in great detail."

Yumeji sighed. "Okay, guys, let's go."

"I'm staying here."

Yumeji, Tensei, and Amaito turned to see Tatsu standing erect next to a wall. His face was emotionless. "Tatsu-san," Amaito breathed. _"What the hell?"_

"The writer wants us to continue on," Tatsu simply said on a monotonous voice. "Therefore, by standing still like this, I am saying to him, 'No more controlling me or my life!'."

Yumeji sighed. "Screw this, let's leave him behind."

"Yeah," Amaito smirked as he joined Tensei and Yumeji. "Maybe the writer has arranged for Rosaria to attack us from behind."

"Or maybe for a horde of demons bent on eating poor Nagatenjōki students to hunt us down!" Tensei teased.

Watching the others run down the alley, Tatsu continue to stand as erect as a statue. There is no way that he'll let the writer order him around. He is Kuinerai Tatsu, the fourth son of a Japanese colonel, a colonel with the _Emperor's_ favor, at that! To submit to every will and whim of the chocolate-loving writer is inconceivable!

Yawning, Tatsu realized that it was possibly an action the writer wanted him to do and decided to cut it short. He thought about tapping his foot on the pavement but decided that the writer has placed the thought into his head and quickly pushed it out. He must do absolutely _nothing _in order to win_._

Suddenly, something bumped against a trashcan lid, causing him to jump. Had he bothered to take a closer look, Tatsu would've identified a large rat as the cause. Instead, he was so scared that he ran off to catch up with the others, tripping over the unconscious man in the process.

In the distance, one could barely hear someone shouting, "Damn you, writer!"

''''''''''''''''

**Cleon's location, somewhere in Academy City.**

**7:32 pm**

Cleon and the thugs gasped in surprise as they beheld the finished product in its entire high-tech splendor. Approximately five and a half feet long and having a diameter of four feet, the large cylindrical device was small enough to fit inside the flatbed of a pickup truck and was surprisingly light. Three spotlights were mounted on the device on swivel mounts, as if three people can shine them onto three targets at the same time. The controls for the device are mounted on the side.

Cleon then went back over the construction of the device in his mind and examined the mental image of the strange prism and its part in the machine's operation. Apparently, three laser beams are fired into the prism from three different devices within the machine itself. If his mental calculations are right, then the prism will react by produced a sort of light that is channeled through a web of optic fibers and out of the machine via the three spotlights. If the light does what he believes it would do, then not even the Railgun would stand a chance against the Gekota Gang.

"Now," Shinataki announced, smirking evilly. "Time to test the machine!"

Suddenly, two sets of hands grabbed Cleon's arms. Cleon tried to free himself from the grasp of both thugs, to no avail, as they dragged him to about four yards away from the machine. "What's going on here?" Cleon questioned.

Shinataki motioned to a thug, who took his place next to the one of the spotlights. Cleon's heart jumped into his throat as the man turned the machine on. The machine whirred to life as lasers struck the prism, casing a soft purple glow in the otherwise dark area. "We need a test subject and who else is perfect for the task other than yourself, Cleon?" Shinataki sneered.

"What about your leader? What if you kill me and that's not what he wanted?"

"What if I don't care either way?" a deep voice cut in Turning toward the source of the voice, Cleon watched as the thugs parted, revealing a man who looked to be in his thirties. Despite the dimness of the purple light, Cleon could see that the man was wearing a green tracksuit and lime green tennis shoes. A multitude of key chains depicting the smiling frog face Cleon saw in the graffiti hung from various holes in the man's jacket and from the waistband of his track pants. Hell, the man even sported a smiling frog face tattoo on his forehead. For the first time since arriving at this city, Cleon figured out who Gekota is. However, if he wasn't about to become a guinea pig, he'll be laughing

"There is still work to do," the man said. "So, rest assured that, after this experiment, you would have half served your purpose, Cleon."

"But if you're planning to use it against Rosaria," Cleon reasoned. "It won't work on her directly. You would have to target her creations instead."

"Of course," the man admitted. "However, we have to see whether it works first, right?"

Cleon sighed. Though he saw the man's point, he doesn't completely know what the machine would do. Still, he must do it if Academy City is to be saved. "Very well," he finally said.

Smirking, Shinataki fished into his pockets and pulled out a tablet, a cell phone, and a pencil. Writing something on the paper, Shinataki held it up for Cleon to see. It was an equation. "What's 2,376 times 394?" Shinataki asked.

The answer came instantly. "936, 144," Cleon answered.

Using his cell phone's calculator to plug in the numbers, Shinataki jerked back in surprise when the answer came back. "You're right," Shinataki gasped.

The other thugs whispered among themselves. The Gekota leader simply grunted. Writing another problem, Shinataki showed it to Cleon. "Fine then, what 453 times 234 divided by 54 minus 21 and plus 192?"

Again, the answer came instantly, "2, 134."

Confirming the answer, Shinataki was surprised. "What are you?" he muttered before clearing his throat. "Okay then, let's see if you can use your abilities while bathed in this strange light."

Getting out of the way, Shinataki signaled to the thug at the machine, who swiveled the spotlight at Cleon and pulled the trigger at its side. The moment the light touched Cleon, an intense ringing filled his ears and his brain felt as if it was being crushed between a pair of vises. Crying out, Cleon's legs gave way and he dropped to the ground. The two thugs holding onto his arms tried to hold him up as his vision became blurry for a moment before refocusing.

Struggled onto his feet and breathing fast, Cleon watched as Shinataki reached out and sticked a few fingers into the strobe light. Being the Level 0 he is, Shinataki was unaffected by the light. Smirking, he held up another equation he wrote down. "Now," he sneered. "What's 235 times 12?"

Cleon grunted when a jumble of answers resurfaced into his conscious. Haggard, he quick chose the first answer to pop into his head, "347."

Inputting the equation, Shinataki laughed. "Not even close. It's 2, 820." Gasps rose from the other thugs. After writing another equation, Shinataki asked, "Now, what's 345 times 18?"

"Let me... work the problem out in the dust," Cleon gasped. With a nod, Shinataki ordered the two thugs to let Cleon go. Dropping onto his knees, Cleon then wrote in the dust coating the pavement with a finger, muttering, "Okay, 5 times 8 is 40. Put down the 0, carry the 4..."

After about a minute, give or take a few seconds, Cleon stood up and finally said, "6, 210."

Checking the equation, Shinataki smiled. "You're not as dumb as I thought the machine would make you. Your ability must have something akin to the mind or something, though I don't see how a Telepath could ever answer such hard equations _that_ fast." Turning to the thug operating the machine, Shinataki ordered the man to power off the machine and begin to shout some orders, "You two, put that machine on the truck! The rest of you, get your gear ready! Let's go, the Green Nun will not wait for us!"

Still woozy from exposure to the light, Cleon tried to redo the third and fourth equations in his head but couldn't find the answers as quickly as he had done for the first and second equations. Clearly, the light seemed to have a residual effect. How long it'll last; however, is something that Cleon cannot determine, at least at this point.

"You should be proud, ability user," the Gekota leader said, a small grin on his face as he took a step closer. "You're now a hero who'd just saved Academy City, as well as helped the oppressed. Congratulations. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck in fighting the Green Nun." Holding Cleon in his gaze for a few minutes, the leader finally turned and joined his gang.

Cleon glanced at the machine being carried off by two thugs. While he was helping the gang assemble the machine, he felt like he was actually a part of a team of engineers. Now, he felt like a crook who'd just created a weapon that'll be used against innocent civilians. If the machine can successfully be used against him, then who's to say that it won't be used against any other innocent students? Who's to say that it won't be used against the Railgun herself?

"One way or another," Cleon silently swore. "I will destroy that machine."

'''''''''''''''''''

**A random alley, which is **_**nowhere**_** near Cleon's location. **

**7:55 pm**

"Stupid writer, stupid writer!" Tatsu grumbled as the Newbies turned yet _another_ corner.

"Shut up!" Tensei groaned, looking around. He then scratched his head. "Hey, are we're going in circles? I'm sure that we've seen those trashcans before."

"There are trashcans everywhere we go!" Amaito whined. "We're lost, aren't we?"

"Yes," Yumeji admitted, looking into the darkening sky. "Had anybody brought any flashlights along?"

"No," Amaito said, sighing.

"I've forgotten mine," Tensei admitted.

"This is all the writer's fault!" Tatsu growled. "He purposely made us forget to bring our flashlights, just for laughs!"

"You suck at rationalizing, Tatsu-san," Tensei grumbled. "And enough of the 'writer' bullcrap."

"Hey guys," Amaito said, pointing toward a light up ahead. "There's something up there!"

"Shhh," Yumeji warned, placing a finger over his lips and waving for the other to follow him. As the Newbies got closer, they began to hear voices. At first, the voices weren't very clear enough for the boys to make out the words. Finally, when the Newbies got close enough, they shielded their eyes from the light...and found themselves staring down no less than eight Anti-Skill officers. "Hey, you guys are supposed to be inside by seven!" the tall, lean, female officer gasped in surprise.

"Oh..." Amaito breathed.

"SHIT!" Tatsu yelled as he whirled and broke into a run, dragging a blushing Tensei with him. Yumeji and Amaito quickly ran after them as the Anti-Skill gave chase. The Newbies ducked into a nearby alley as the Anti-Skill chased them. Huffing, Yumeji looked behind him, dropping his jaw in surprised at the Anti-Skill's speed, despite wearing body armor. They were gaining on them.

"We can't lose them!" Amaito huffed. "I can keep this up much longer!"

"Did you see her?" Tensei ran, blushing heavily. "That's the apple of my eye, the prize before me! I can't believe that it's Aiho Yomikawa who's chasing us even now! I truly wish that she catches me!"

"This is all the writer's fault!" Tatsu whined, leading the others into another alley. "He can't do anything without making me the butt of his jokes!"

"If the writer really exists," Amaito huffed. "Then stop pissing him off!"

"He should be the one who stop- " Tatsu's sentence was interrupted when a giant thorn bush erupted from a spot behind the Newbies, cutting them off from their Anti-Skill pursuers. Skidding to a stop, the Newbies turned and saw the Anti-Skill officers futilely try to push their way through the thorn bush. The fact that the sharp thorns were sticking their barely protected faces wasn't helping either.

Breathing hard, Aiho sighed. "Why would you guys hang around in such a dangerous place as this?" she questioned. "Especially when a rogue magician is on the loose."

"Arrest me, my sweet lady!" Tensei pleaded, making his way toward the thorn bush. "I just can't control myself!"

Sighing, Yumeji pushed Tensei away. "We just wanted to rescue our friend," he said.

"Well, taking the law into your own hands can and will get you killed," Aiho responded.

"I know, but we had no other choice."

"Aw, how tragic," an all too familiar voice echoed throughout the alley. Suddenly, vines ripped out of the ground underneath the Anti-Skill team and begin coiling around them. The Newbies gasped in horror as the vines then begin to crush the Anti-Skill officers, including Aiho. However, what were more chilling were their expressionless faces, as well as the fact that they exploded into leaves.

"YOU BITCH!" Tensei yelled at the top of his lungs. "You dare turn Aiho into leaves?"

Again, Rosaria's voice echoed. "You're such an empty-headed little demon and a foul mouthed one, at that!" she chuckled. "What you had just seen was the result of my little experiment. Imagine that those who you greatly depend on, those who you share your deepest secrets to, were nothing more than leaves who serve me as spies...and soldiers.

Rosaria then continued. "That is one of the many ways Academy City will fall. Disguised as people in positions vital to this city's operation, my little children will create complete chaos. Fires will blaze everywhere. Life support systems will fail as backup generators are sabotaged and the main power supply are disrupted. People will fight each other, unable to determine whether the people around them are real or fake."

"When Academy City finally succumbs to the chaos within, the Catholic Church will take advantage of all of this to strike the killing blow to the capital of science, ridding the world of that evil symbol of humanity's greatest blasphemy once and for all! I will become a hero and rude boys such as you four will rot beneath the great forest that will spring up from the ruins of this sinful city!"

Several explosions went off in the distance. Sirens soon continued to disturb the night as more explosions rocked the night. Some of the city lights began to flicker.

"Oh god..." Yumeji breathed. "It's starting."

Rosaria's chuckle echoed throughout the alley. "Well," she finally said. "It means that you four had better come and stop me...if you can. Speaking of which, where's your little friend?"

"How do I know that _you_ don't have him?" Tensei growled, gripping his broomstick tighter.

Another chuckle. "If I already have him with me, would I ask? No matter, I'll just hunt him down later."

"You'll never get away with this!" Amaito growled.

"Yeah!" Tatsu added. "The writer will never let you win!" He then became unsure. "I hope."

Rosaria scoffed. "Whatever, come and find me. I'll be waiting."

After a few minutes of silence, the Newbies assumed that Rosaria was gone. In the distance, more explosions disturbed the night air.

"Come on, guys," Yumeji commanded, his eyes filled with anger, as he begin to run down the alley.

"Yeah!" Tatsu said, running after him, along with Amaito and Tensei. ""No one messes with our city!"

"Or our lives!" Amaito added.

"And most of all, that of our friend!" Tensei said.

Unbeknownst to the Newbies, a vine was growing from the wall. A green fruit that resembled a human eyeball continued to watch the four boys run down the alley.

"Bring it on, heathen boys," Rosaria's voice echoed out of a pair of dark green leaves beneath the eyeball. Two leaves that would pass for eyelids moved as the eye blinked. "I love a good fight."


	7. 1st Encounter with the Other Side, Pt 4

**Author's Note: Great news: I'm still alive, albeit extra busy. DX More chapters shall flow forth pretty soon for this story and the others. Enjoy! ;)**

**Chapter 6: First Encounter with the Other Side, Part 4**

**Unknown location within Academy City's alleys.**

**08:17 pm**

"What misfortune!" someone shouted in the distance, his voice echoing in the night air.

Slowing down slightly, Yumeji glanced up, trying to determine the source of the voice. However, the sound of the other's footsteps, as well as his rapid breathing, wasn't helping him at all. Not to mention that the explosions were becoming more frequent and widespread. Time was running out.

"The fact that we _*huff*_ can hear that person's shout means _*huff*_ that these alleys must be near some residential _*huff*_ area," Amaito concluded, panting. "Maybe a dorm or something."

"Well if we don't hurry up and stop Rosaria, he's going to be saying, _'God help me'_, along with everyone else in this city," Tatsu grunted.

"I wish that the Railgun was here," Amaito sighed. "She'll straighten Rosaria out, one way or another!"

Tensei spat on the ground. "Forget the Railgun," he grunted. "She'll just tell us to stand aside while she gets to be the hero. _'Can't let you noobs get yourself killed,'_ she'll say. It's not our fault that Nagatenjōki Academy doesn't have as much espers as Tokiwadai."

Tatsu glanced behind him and gave Tensei a look that said 'you're serious?' "Had you even met the girl in _person, _man?"

Tensei shrugged. "I don't have to. She's the poster child of Tokiwadai, if not of Academy City! Her pictures are everywhere, complete with that overconfident look on her face. I mean, I felt like she was staring into my eyes, mocking and insulting me, telling me that, no matter what I do, I will never become just as famous and powerful as her."

Tatsu sighed. "Your mind really does run wild. Anyway, I've met her in person a long time ago."

"Sitting on the bench behind her at McDougal's doesn't count, Tatsu-san."

Tatsu sighed again, this time deeply. "No, _idiot_, I really met her a long time ago. In fact, this happens when we were little kids. We'd met at a research facility on the day that my older brother was admitted for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She was a kind and compassionate girl who tried to cheer me up when I had little hope for my brother's recovery. She'd even told me that, since she was a powerful esper, the researchers realized that her abilities can help cure the muscular disease and have obtained a sample of her hair for research." Tatsu sighed as he continued to run, his face filled with sadness.

Tensei lowered his head, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't know."

"Nah, it's not your fault, Tensei-san," Tatsu mumbled, shaking his head.

"Was your brother cured?" Yumeji asked.

"Nah," Tatsu finally said, feeling bitter. "He died anyway. I sort of knew that his time was coming. It wasn't Mikoto's fault or that of the researchers, either. Besides, a cure for such a terrible genetic disease takes a long time to create, right? I mean, not even Academy City has the answers to everything."

"Yes, though making such a cure shouldn't take a long time, considering that they're using a _Level 5's_ DNA _and_ that this city is so advanced that it makes the other collegiate cities look like elementary schools," Tensei spoke. "Unless, of course, either they don't know what they're doing in the first place."

"Or they're using the Railgun's DNA for something else," Amaito added.

Clenching his hands into fists, Tatsu ran faster, anger rising inside of him. "If my brother's life had been wasted on a lie," he growled, his eyes burning with rage. "Then Rosaria can rest assured that she will have only one less facility to destroy."

"Well speaking of the devil," Tensei smirked, pointing at something ahead. "There are her goons."

Sure enough, there were no less than five mandrakes in their path, all very eager to fight the Newbies. One of them; however, was purple, as opposed to its brown comrades. Not only were its flowers larger and colorful and its leaves darker but it appeared to had grown a bundle of large leaves that formed into a sort of robe around its body, as well as a long beard of small leaves under its chin. Its eyes and mouth gave off a blue surreal light that burned with intelligence. Neither of the mandrakes was emitting any type of fog or strange sparks. Obviously, Rosaria learns from her mistakes.

"What the hell is that thing?" Amaito gasped, out of breath.

"I don't know!" Tatsu snapped, still angry. "But that won't stop me from tearing it to shreds!"

"I wish that my mom was here," Tensei said, readying his broomstick. "The sight of her eating their friends will make the mandrakes run in fear."

"I thought that mandrakes were poisonous," Amaito said.

"My mom is more dangerous than these monsters!" Tensei grinned. "In fact, I'm willing to bet that she and the Tokiwadai supervisor are somehow related."

"No wonder you didn't freeze up when you'd first met the supervisor last night," Yumeji summarized.

When the Newbies neared the mandrakes, the new monster shocked them with a smirk and, with a roar, ordered the others to attack. The four regular mandrakes gleefully charged, rapidly closing the distance with the four boys, who shouted out their own warcries.

"For Academy City!" Yumeji yelled, unsheathing his wooden katana.

"For Cleon-san!" Amaito added, holding his mallet high.

"For Aiho Yomikawa!" Tensei shouted, blushing.

"For popcorn!" Tatsu yelled, readying his stick and 'shield'.

Needless to say, the clash was just as fierce as the resulting fight.

"Hyeeee-yah!" Tensei yelled out as he slammed a drop kick into the chest of a mandrake. Stumbling for a moment, the monster regained its balance and, grabbing Tensei's outstretched leg just as he unleashed another kick, swinged the hapless red head into a nearby wall. Crumpling to the ground, Tense kipped up, only to be sequentially knocked onto his ass with a jab to the face.

Tatsu dodged a right hook and, slamming his trashcan lid 'shield' into the mandrake's face, jumped up and whammed his stick against the monster's face. The stick, having undergone months of exposure to the elements, snapped in half, leaving the stunned Newbie with the shortest end of the stick, so to speak.

"Stupid writer!" Tatsu yelled out, tossing away the broken stick. Taking out a can of weed killer, Tatsu nearly dropped the can when the mandrake bashed against his shield with a fist. The force of the blow caused Tatsu to stumble backward, bumping into Amaito, who was then trying to move back quick enough to avoid another mandrake's incoming kick. The two boys grunted in pain as the mandrake's kick slammed into the both of them, sending them sprawling out onto the ground. Tatsu cursed when the can that he held in his hand bounced out of his grasp and rolled about two meters away.

"Stupid writer!" he yelled for the umpteenth time as the mandrakes that he and Amaito were fighting neared, hungry looks on their faces.

"Forget the writer," Amaito whined, gulping in fear. "We're finished!"

As the mandrakes got closer, one of them, the mandrake that Tatsu was fighting, stepped on the can of weed killer and slipped, pushing the can back to Tatsu, who then quickly grabbed it. The mandrake gave a surprised yell as it found itself cartwheeling in the air. One of its feet slammed into the other mandrake, putting it into its own midair flip. Both mandrakes grunted as they both hit the ground...at the same time.

"If the writer really exists," Amaito said, getting up. "You'd better thank him every day for sheer dumb luck."

"Whatever," Tatsu mumbled, rolling his eyes as Amaito helped him up. "We already have Tensei for that."

Amaito and Tatsu turned to face the mandrakes, who were now slowly getting back up, clearly annoyed. "So," Amaito asked. "How should we finish off these guys?"

With an evil smirk, Tatsu then grinned, shaking his can. "Let's weed out these bastards."

"Gladly." Amaito and Tatsu then sprayed the two mandrakes, grinning as the monsters gave a series of agonized cries. Blackened areas were forming and spreading all over their bodies as the chemical mixture killed off their cells. The mandrakes then shriveled up, their cries became weaker and fainter until, after almost a minute, they stopped moving and lay still on the ground, dead. After a few seconds, their bodies dissolved into dust and were blown away by a soft breeze.

"Hey, this stuff really works!" Amaito cried in surprise.

"Duh, it's a plant killer," Tatsu grinned, shaking the bottle. "Now, let's go help the others."

While Tensei was trading blows with his mandrake opponent, Yumeji was simply and gracefully dodging and parrying his opponent's attacks with his weapon. Unlike the fast and the furious Tensei, the patient and calculating Yumeji had taken some kendo lessons when he was younger. He knew that fast, forceful moves can and will leave a fighter open and vulnerable to his opponent's finishing strike. He may not be as skilled in hand to hand combat as Tensei but he still is a pretty good fighter. Unfortunately for the mandrake fighting him, he's not the type of person who goes easy on enemies.

The mandrake gave a frustrated growl as Yumeji simply whacked its punch off course with his weapon, causing its fist to slam into the wall beside him. Before the monster could react, Yumeji slammed the hilt of his wooden katana into its face, forcing it to back off. Before the monster could react, Yumeji slashed its face, destroying one of its eyes, and causing the monster to roar in pain and rage. When the monster launched itself at him, Yumeji simply pressed the hilt of the katana against the wall and smiled with satisfaction as the mandrake impaled itself onto the wooden blade. The monster convulsed for a few seconds before becoming limp.

Pushing the heavy monster off of his weapon, Yumeji rejoined Tatsu and Amaito just as with a loud _*Woot!*,_ Tensei knocked the last regular mandrake's head off with a vicious roundhouse kick. Backflipping, Tensei eventually rejoined the others.

"Woohoo, the monster's head flies off for ten points!" Tensei shouted, raising both fists into the air. "Newbies -2, Rosaria-Nada! Hey, if cutting the grass means kicking mandrake ass, I'll do it every day!"

"I never has this much fun since watching Tensei rant in the Tokiwadai dorm hallways last night," Tatsu said, chuckling at the memory.

"So, what are we going to do about that guy?" Amaito asked, pointing at the strange mandrake in front of them. It seemed to be waiting for them.

"We'll kill it," Yumeji said, holding his wooden katana with both hands in front of him. "Just like the others."

Without hesitation, the Newbies charged, weapons and spray cans (in Tatsu's case) raised. As the boys neared, the strange mandrake gave what would be considered a derisive smirk before raising its hands up and appears to be mumbling a chant. A swarm of dancing blue sparks soon materialized around its fingers and soon blanketed its hands. Before the Newbies could react, the mandrake launched no less than six balls of sparkling energy at them.

"Giant jumping Gekotas!" Tensei shouted, diverolling two such balls. Amaito and Tatsu; however, weren't so lucky as three of the balls smashed into them, knocking the wind out of them in a shower of sparks as they fell to the ground. Meanwhile, Yumeji simply sidestepped the last ball of energy as he moved closer to the strange mandrake.

"*_Cough!*_ Is that ..._*uck* _thing using magic?" Tatsu coughed, sucking in a breath. "Way to frigging go, writer!"

"Great, a mandrake mage," Amaito sighed. "What's next, a mandrake tank?"

"Don't give the writer any ideas!"

Skidding to a stop, Yumeji sheathed his wooden katana and, wielding his hunting bow, loading a sharp-tipped arrow onto the bowstring. Aiming at the mandrake's throat, Yumeji fired the arrow. With a small chant, the mandrake mage chuckled as it deflected the projectile with a wave of its hand, causing the arrow to thunk uselessly on the ground behind it.

Zipping pass a stunned Yumeji, Tensei jumped into the air, launching himself at the monster with a flying kick. Chanting momentarily, the mandrake mage clapped its hands together. Tensei screamed when the resulting blast of sparks send him flying backward, tumbling along the ground, as he passed Yumeji, who was loading another arrow.

As Amaito went over to help Tensei up, Tatsu watched the monster, which was conjuring up yet another spell. Suddenly, the monster spread its arms out, creating four glowing spots on the ground. Seconds later, four new regular mandrakes erupt from the ground, much to the chagrin of the Newbies. It was clear that Rosaria has a few tricks up her sleeves.

"Aw, not again!" Tatsu groaned, getting into a combat pose. "I really don't think that Rosaria have released her full potential yet."

"Geez," Amaito groaned, gulping. "I really wish that the Railgun was here!"

"Who needs the Railgun when you got Aiho Yomikawa?" Tensei asked, blushing as he dusted himself off.

"Who need stupidity when you got Tensei?" Tatsu muttered dryly to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Someplace else, in a different set of alleys.<strong>

**08:34 pm**

The so-named Gekota Army, as Shinataki have put it, consisted of no less than forty thugs, one kidnapped exchange student, and a green electric-powered pickup truck with a type of anti ability/ritual device on the flat bed. All, except for the exchange student, Cleon, wore green and black outfits, albeit without the embarrassing Gekota symbol. Only the leader, who was also present, was decked out in Gekota memorabilia. Armed with pipes, crowbars, knives, and pretty much anything else they can get their hands on, the thugs also carried cans of spray paint and lighters to ignite the flammable liquids, as well as a few makeshift shields large enough to protect up to four people and about three makeshift hand cannons that looked more safe to build than to use. To better protect the machine, the leader ordered that twenty-five of the thugs march in front of the truck while the rest guard its rear. It was a wise decision, Cleon deducted, considering that an ample amount of thugs can respond to an attack from the rear without having to squeeze their way through the limited space between the truck and the walls of the alley.

Despite the fact that a typical alley was only wide enough for four people to walk down its length side by side, not including the more numerous walkways, the truck was small enough to negotiate every space. Sitting in the cab was Shinataki, who was driving, Cleon in the center, and the leader, who was staring out the window, bored. Though they were no longer underneath the signal scrambling ceiling of metal shards, he still couldn't use his cell phone to call for help, even if Shinataki haven't taken it away. After all, there is a 100% chance that Shinataki or even the leader would react violently if he even makes such a move...at least at the wrong time.

It has been thirty minutes since the effects of the anti-esper device had wore off. Now, Cleon can function and think just as perfectly as before. However, he was still unsure and wary about the device sitting on the flat bed behind him. Like a symbol of triumph and of a bad mistake, it sat there, reminding him of the double edged sword he'd just created, a weapon that should not exist.

"_Some weekend this is, especially during my first week,"_ he thought wearily.

As the 'army' continued down the alley, the explosions and gunfire in the distance became more frequent. Plumes of smoke were rising, floating in the skies overhead as a constant reminder that time was running out. At first, no one knew what was causing all of the chaos. However, the leader believed that Rosaria was making her move, which is why defeating her while she is still in the alleys is of the essence. Besides, it was much easier than fighting her _and_ Anti-Skill on the streets. However, this did little to improve Shinataki's patience.

"Why the hell is we moving slowly?" he whined, rubbing his temple with his free hand. He then tapped on the horn. "Pick up the pace up there! Can't you hear the city crashing down around us?" he shouted at the thugs in front of the truck.

"Well, they have been moving fast for the past twenty one minutes," the leader said.

"Of course," Shinataki muttered impatiently. "However, they can manage for twenty more minutes or so. It's not like they've been running."

"Right, but we'll be in a bad situation if they are too tired to fight efficiently," Cleon said.

Shinataki casted a glare in Cleon's direction. "If you don't have a gang to command, then shut your mouth, boy," he growled.

"I sort of see Cleon's point, though we don't have the luxury to rest," the leader said. "Right now, the Green Nun is most likely waiting for us."

"Heh, she won't have to wait long if we hurry-"

"There they are!" a thug in the front shouted, cutting Shinataki off, and pointed at what appeared to be three regular mandrakes in the distance. By the shocked expressions on the mandrakes' faces, they clearly weren't expecting to encounter an army of thugs, much less one that was better equipped for an assault on their mistress' hideout.

"CHARGE!" Shinataki bellowed out, blowing his horn. "Move faster, you bastards, or I'll run you over!" Needless to say, the thugs hooted and hollered as they charged, their weapons waving in the air.

With squeals of surprise and fear, the mandrakes realized that they have no chance of winning and turned to flee. As the thugs chased the mandrakes, Shinataki pulled the truck over to the side to allow the thugs in the rear to join in the chase. After the last thug had passed by, Shinataki sped up, trying to keep up with the thugs, who was well up ahead, while the leader rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"If my suspicions are true and those mandrakes were only keeping a lookout for anyone who may try to stop Rosaria's plan, then we may be closer to her hideout than we think," he finally said.

"If that is true," Cleon added, his mind already going over the possibilities, all of them bad. "Then they could end up rushing into Rosaria's hideout, leaving us behind, and completely lacking any immediate firepower that the machine in the back could offer, especially if Rosaria is really prepared for our arrival." Gasping, Cleon turned to the leader. "You must call them all back, _now_!"

The leader was about to speak when flashes of blue and green light erupted from up ahead, along with the screams and surprised shouts of the thugs. Seconds later, some of the thugs raced back to the safety of the truck, some of them having scorch marks on their green shirts, as more yells rose from the other thugs.

"Looks like it's too late," Shinataki said, giving Cleon a mock smirk as he slammed on the brakes. The truck skid to a halt just a few inches from the closest thug, causing him to jerk back in surprise, trip over a rock, and fall onto his back. "Now, get in the back and get the machine ready."

* * *

><p><strong>Undisclosed location, somewhere else in Academy City<strong>

**08:57 pm**

Despite the fact that the city was in chaos, the inside of the room inside an unknown building was relatively calm. Cut off from the outside world, the small group of people continued to type away at the large computer while their supervisor, an aging man in his late fifties, concentrated on the group's sole responsibility: tracking the movement of a red dot on the virtual topologic map of the city.

It had been almost an hour since the dot has surfaced, just a few days more than it should've appeared. Some had speculated that the tiny beacon itself was placed under some sort of signal-disrupting canopy while others believed that the construction and activation of the test device took longer than expected. Whatever the reason, the device was now at the target location.

The man gave a small smile of satisfaction as he reminisced the very first day he'd been assigned to this research project. Codenamed Project Lymphocyte, this project studies the movements of the various Skill-Out gangs in this city, as well as the significant roles that they can play in the defense of Academy City. Under the hypothesis that they, with the right equipment, can function as something of an immune system, Anti-Skill can then concentrate on more pressing issues, rather than searching every alley for rogue magicians and espers. Of course, the Skill-Outs can and will turn their new toys on Anti-Skill officers and students alike but there is always a way to deal with that eventuality too.

Deep in his thoughts, the man yelped when a hand is placed on his shoulder. By the sight of the person's well-manicured nails and the whiff of cherry blossom-scented perfume, the man didn't have to turn his head to see who was standing next to him. "At the moment," he finally said. "It seems that everything is going as planned."

"I can see that, Professor," the woman said, giving the man's shoulder a brief squeeze. The lights of the computer reflected off her glasses. Blushing, the man wished that, at that moment, he was young again. If only the Fountain of Youth really existed. The man began to silently curse his age for obvious reasons as the young woman continued, "In fact, I suspect that they have correctly constructed the little gift that we've sent them. The fact that the beacon is working means that they're not dumb brutes after all, especially since they'd somehow managed to keep the target at bay during the past two years."

"Precisely," the man agreed. "While this particular Skill-Out gang is using the prototype, we can gauge its capabilities, as well as usefulness against enemy magicians and espers. Once successful, it will then become an essential part of Academy City's defenses."

"A pity that the gang decided to use it right when the target has begun her assault," the woman muttered. "Very well, get a surveillance drone ready and send it to the target location. I would like to see how well this Skill-Out gang fares against the target." With a bow, the man gave out orders.

Watching the red blinking dot on the topologic map, the woman smiled as all of the pieces began to fall into place. If all goes as planned, then her greatest dreams will be realized. All thanks to Grandfather.

* * *

><p><strong>The Newbies' location<strong>

**09:06 pm**

The last regular mandrake gave a loud guttural cry of pain as it slumped to the ground, a deep hole in its chest. Wiping the mandrake's blood off his wooden katana, Yumeji twirled the weapon a few times before sheathing it. Nearby, Tensei was giving Amaito, who has bruises all over his body and a black eye, a toothed grin, a few of his teeth missing. Tatsu was just as bruised as Amaito, albeit with scratches on his face and arms. Yumeji was pretty much unscathed, besides the cut under his right eye.

Tensei turned toward the mandrake mage, who beginning to conjure up a spell. Six glowing circles were forming around it. Tensei sighed and readied himself, bracing himself for more mandrakes. Nearby, Tatsu swore profusely while Amaito cringed visibly, knowing that there is no way to defeat the mandrake mage.

Suddenly, a sharp-tipped arrow plunged into the mandrake mage's chest, narrowing missing any vitals. However, the sudden attack was enough to disrupt its spells and the six circles exploded into a shower of sparks. Surprised, as well as relieved, the three Newbies turned to Yumeji, who was loading another arrow onto the bowstring. "For its spells to be completed," Yumeji explained. "It must remain concentrated. Use anything to distract it: bottles, thrown rocks, firecrackers..."

Tatsu reached into his jacket and pull out a roll of firecrackers. "Thank goodness that I'd kept these," he grinned.

Amaito was crossed. "And when were you going to tell us?"

Yumeji shrugged. "I've just figured it out. Basically, that mandrake needed to finish its chants in order for them to work so, if we attack it now and keep it distracted, we can easily finish it off."

Whirling around, Tensei, Tatsu, and Amaito charged as the mandrake mage began to conjure up another spell. Slowing down, Tatsu took out a lighter and with some difficulty, lit the fuse. He then slid it along the ground, watching as the firecrackers slid into the mandrake mage's foot. Before the monster could kick the firecrackers away, Yumeji sunk a second arrow into its chest, stunning it. A few seconds later, the firecrackers erupted, causing the monster to dance frantically to avoid getting injured by the tiny explosions.

Suddenly, Tensei slammed a drop kick into its face, causing it to stumble. As the mandrake mage struggled to regain its balance, Amaito caused the earth beneath it to erupt, causing it to lose its balance and fall to the ground. Landing on its back, the mandrake mage didn't even have the chance to get up as Tensei flipped onto its stomach, pinning it to the ground, and deliver a devastating, rapid barrage of blows to the face, ripping chunks of its head off.

Raising his hands up above his head, Tensei clasped them together and shouted, "Sonic boom me, Yumeji!" With a quizzical look on his face, Yumeji nodded.

The moment that Tensei slammed into the mandrake mage's face with the combined fist, Yumeji quickly amplified the resulting sound. A powerful explosion of sound ripped the monster's head to bits, as well as knocked Tensei into the air, sending the screaming red head landing on the ground in a slide, both of his hands reddened.

"Woohoo!" Tatsu shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "We did it! No one can stop the Newbies!"

"Newbies-3, Rosaria-Nada!" Amaito shouted.

"That was amazing, especially with Tensei-san's ground assault!"

"Ow, my hands hurt...," Tensei whined, tears flowing down his eyes. "I am never going to do that again."

"You asked for it, Tensei-san," Yumeji chided, sighing. "Who the hell you think you are, the Karate Kid or something?"

"The idea of sonic booming me is to manipulate the intensity of the _*smack*_ caused by the impact of my fists, not try to rip my hands off!" Tensei snapped.

Yumeji merely shrugged. "So... you wanted an explosion of sound, right?"

"Exactly my point!"

"Exactly my point too," Yumeji sighed. "That's what I've created!"

Tensei sighed and gingerly placed his hands into his pockets. "Maybe that was a bad idea anyway."

A nearby explosion rocked the area, causing the four Newbies to brace themselves. Down the alley, bright flashes of light, which was quickly followed by explosions, clearly indicated that a battle was raging ahead.

The four Newbies looked at each other. "Could it be Anti-Skill?" Tatsu asked warily.

Yumeji listened carefully to the sounds of battle ahead. "There are no machine gunfire or siren lights," he spoke. "Which means that it could be between Rosaria and maybe one of those Skill-Out gangs."

"Great," Tatsu groaned, throwing his hands up. "Now, we have _two_ problems to deal with."

"Wait, what if Cleon-san is there too?" Amaito asked, placing his index fingers together. "What if the gang that's now fighting Rosaria is the one who'd kidnapped him?"

Tensei and Yumeji looked at each other. "Well, most likely, it the one who we took some wiring from yesterday," Tensei said, shrugging. Yumeji could tell that he didn't want to face that scary man again.

"So, the plan is to defeat Rosaria and get Cleon-san back," Yumeji said, sighing. "This is not how I wanted to spend this weekend."

"I still say that this is those Tokiwadai girls' fault."

Yumeji looked at Tensei funny. _"What?"_

"I mean, if you think about it, if those girls haven't stolen the Unaberu, we wouldn't run into those knuckleheads while getting parts for the spy copter, we wouldn't run into Rosaria, those guys wouldn't have kidnapped Cleon-san, and we'd be at the dorm, accessing the Unaberu right now."

"Yes, but we wouldn't be in a position to save Academy City, right?"

Tensei sighed. "Fate has a way of making just anybody heroes, does it?"

"Come on guys!" Tatsu called, cutting in. "Even if Cleon-san isn't there, we still have to stop Rosaria! Let's frigging go, already!"

Nodding, Yumeji gathered up all of his arrows and wielded his wooden katana. "Okay, Newbies," he finally said. "Tonight is our finest night. By tomorrow, we will be known as heroes! We will be as famous as the Railgun. So, friends, let's pluck up this Rosaria and grind her to mulch!"

The others cheered three times and hurried toward the scene of battle, where the fate of Academy City rests on victory or defeat.

'''''''''''''''''''''

**Rosaria's Hideout, Scene of Battle**

**09:15 pm**

Meanwhile, the Gekota Army was faring very well against Rosaria's minions. Beside the normal mandrakes and the strange, magic-wielding mandrakes, turrets resembling sunflowers were shooting out beams of green energy from strange green fruits growing out of their stems. However, five blast holes surrounded by pieces of the mandrakes and some of the turret plants were clear testaments to the awe-inspiring power of the three hand cannons, heavy, homemade weapons that were as devastating as they were cumbersome.

The three large thugs, who were strong enough to withstand the powerful recoil of the makeshift weapons, kept up a steady but slow barrage at a rate of three explosive shots per minute as the other thugs continue to fight the mandrakes, the large shields placed nearby blocking the green beams and spells casted by the mandrake mages. One thug screamed when a green beam carried him to the far wall, smashing him into the brick surface, and sending him crumpling to the ground, barely conscious.

Nearby, a new group of mandrakes had just risen out of the ground and was about to assault the thugs' left flank when three bluish beams of ritual-killing light scythed through them like grass. The monsters screamed when the beams disintegrated everything they touched, turning them to dust. A second group of mandrakes arrived seconds later and was given the same fate.

Manning the machine, Cleon, Shinataki, and the leader continued to kill off the monsters, which were helpless against the powerful weapon. In the front, the thugs pressed harder, causing a few mandrakes to flee. Invigorated, some of the thugs broke through the breach left behind and assaulted the mandrake mages, who were unprepared for the sudden rush, proceeding to pick them off in rapid succession. The odds were now in the Gekota Army's favor, who hasn't suffered any casualties, at least not yet.

Seeing that the course of the battle have turned against her, a greatly annoyed Rosaria pulled out a handful of yellow and black seeds and scattered them on the ground. The strange seeds spouted roots and tunneled into the ground. Looking up, Rosaria smiled evilly, expecting the horrors that those seeds will unleash soon. "I hoped that you've enjoyed your sinful lives, heathens," she said. "Because my children will send you all to Hell."

A sudden altercation to her far left alerted Rosaria to the presence of the long awaited arrivals and she then turned to cast a lazy glance at the four boys assaulting the mandrake guarding the alley. Despite their ages, they, especially the foul-mouthed red head and the calm, long-haired boy, managed to defeat the larger, stronger monsters.

Yawning, Rosaria leaned back on her throne of soft wood and vines as she continued to watch the boys fight off her children. _"What an untimely death these boys will soon receive,"_ she thought. _"They are messing with the wrong magician."_

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''

"Tensei Tiger's Extra Strength Kick!" Tensei yelled as he slammed a foot into a mandrake's chest. The monster coughed as the foot tore its way into its chest cavity. Jumping up, Tensei tore the mandrake's head off with a powerful kick from his other foot. Yanking his foot free, the green, slimy lifeblood of the monster soaking into his tennis shoes, Tensei attacked another mandrake.

"Tensei Tiger's Roundabout of Death!" The powerful roundhouse kick caused the monster to stumble, allowing Tensei to unleash another attack. "Tensei Tiger's Amazing Punch!"

The punch; however, did little to improve the mandrake's mood. With a howl of fury, the mandrake jumped up and slammed an ungainly but effective roundhouse kick into Tensei's face. The red head found himself flipping through the air and tumbling into the ground, stopping next to Tatsu, who was slowly shaking his head.

"Way to show off, Sogiita Gunha II, the Raging Idiot," Tatsu muttered.

Kipping up, Tensei's eyes sparkled in admiration. "Sogiita is my hero!" he drooled. "Remember the night when I'd dreamed of being his trusty sidekick, fighting criminals and other enemies alongside him? That was the best dream ever!"

Tatsu was about to sigh when an explosion erupted from a nearby wall, spewing chunks of bricks and dust everywhere. Swearing, Tatsu dove for the ground as debris flew everywhere. Coughing, he felt Tensei's hands grab his arms and pick him up. Dusting Tatsu off, Tensei was just as dusty. "Are these thugs using some kind of weapon or what?" he asked, befuddled.

Sneezing a few times, Tatsu went over to a small pile of mandrakes that the Newbies have killed and peered through the dusty air. In the distance, he saw the thugs fighting off yet more mandrakes while, at their rear, three large men were busy loading what looked like homemade charges into large, thick tubes of scrap metal. Tatsu watched as one of them aimed his weapon at a group of mandrakes, holding the cannon under his arm, grabbing a handle underneath the weapon, and using his free hand to stab a fresh nail that was connected via wires to a taser that was taped to the underside of the cannon into a hole in the cannon's side, piercing the charge inside. He then moved his hand from the nail and pressed the button on the side of the taser. The electrical current seemed to have ignited the gunpowder inside the charge because the large man buckled under the force of the recoil as the cannon belched out fire and smoke, as well as a loud _*BOOM!*._ Seconds later, the group of mandrakes he was targeting erupted into an explosion of fire, dust, and pieces of roots and plants.

"Wow, those men are using cannons!" Tensei said excitedly over his shoulder, causing Tatsu to jump.

"You scared me, man!" Tatsu gasped, his heart racing.

"Well, that explains the explosions," Yumeji said over Tatsu's shoulder, causing him to jump again, yelping.

"Now that we've killed all of those mandrakes back there," Amaito spoke, causing Tatsu to jump a third time, yelping again. "What do we do now?"

Scanning the battlefield, Yumeji hummed as he went over some thoughts inside of his head. Though Cleon is nowhere to be found, Rosaria must be defeated. Whether the Newbies should team up with the thugs or not, she must be prevented from destroying Academy City at all costs. Of course, that didn't mean that he had to enjoy it, especially when Cleon is still out there somewhere.

"We will help them kick Rosaria's ass," he finally said. "Now, let's go run by and say hi."

''''''''''''''

As more mandrakes flooded to the fight, Cleon could see that the thugs were getting tired from the fighting. The Gekota Army's battle lines were wavering and, any moment, the whole thing will collapse into a one-sided fight to the death as the mandrakes begin to overwhelm the thugs. To make matters worse, the three men armed with the hand cannons were running out of charges and the steady flood of mandrakes were being replenished by the mandrake mages in the far rear faster than the anti-ability machine could even destroy them. It was clear that the mandrakes will win by attrition.

"We're going to be overrun!" Shinataki growled, turning to Cleon. "Think of something, boy! We don't have much time!"

Thinking, Cleon looked around, looking for anything that he can use to thin the mandrakes' numbers. His eyes fell on the explosive charges that the cannoneers were loading into their weapons. Suddenly, an idea hit him. "Hey," he asked Shinataki. "What's inside of those charges there?"

Shinataki frowned as he tried to remember. "I dunno, some gunpowder from some fireworks we have left over, as well as grounded up blood pressure medications," his muttered, shrugged. "I know, sounds weird, huh?"

"Not at all," Cleon reassured him. "If you're talking about nitrates, especially nitroglycerin, then you are correct. In fact, nitroglycerin is also used in dynamite production."

"Precisely," the leader confirmed, smirking. "Now, do you see why I'd suggested adding them, Shinataki?"

Needless to say, Shinataki was stunned. "What...the...hell?"

Cleon began to think. "Okay, here's the plan: those guys firing the hand cannons must break open the charges and scatter the contents into the air. Once enough of the substance is in the air, you must withdraw the others and order them to take cover while we hold the mandrakes at bay with the machine. After everyone is safe, ignite the powder. That should be enough to take out the mandrakes."

The leader rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, it could work," he finally said. "However, if the wind changes direction, we will be the ones who'll get charbroiled."

Cleon looked around, glancing over the alleys that opened out into the huge enclosed area where the battle was taking place. If the wind does change direction, the gunpowder can and will spread beyond the area, possibly causing unnecessary collateral damage if ignited. "Well," he finally said. "That could be a problem."

Shinataki sighed. "I thought that you were smart, boy."

"I am!" Cleon defended, a bit annoyed. Shinataki was really getting on his nerves. "It's just that I'm just going over possible ways to turn the tide."

Growling, Shinataki leaned closer threatening. Despite his fear, Cleon managed not to even flinch. "You may be our only hope of winning this war but don't think for a minute that I won't pound your ass for disrespect."

"Easy, Shinataki," the leader ordered calmly. "If the boy comes up with a risky plan, then it's not the end of the world. Even the greatest minds often come up with plans that seem impossible or downright suicidal."

Shinataki looked as if he wouldn't bulge. Finally, he sighed and straightened up. "This isn't over, boy." he warned.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Cleon glanced up at the leader, who didn't say anything else about his plan. Despite the fact that he leads a group of Skill-Outs who's not too shy about attacking students, as well as breaking the law, the leader struck him as a smart, calm man with a lot of self control. It was as if he was only a college professor who happens to lead a street gang, someone who didn't even belong, yet often received respect from even the most violent of thugs, such as Shinataki. If he wasn't the leader of the Gekota Gang, he'll make a great administrator.

Cleon was about to ask for his name when he felt the truck lurch underneath him. The next moment, he, as well and Shinataki and the leader, found themselves flying into the air and landing into a tumble as new, terrifying screeches filled the air. Seconds later, the thugs screamed as explosions of dirt, concrete, and leaves erupted among them, throwing the Gekota Army's battle lines into disarray, as the odds quickly turned against them.

* * *

><p>Hovering over the scene of the battle, the drone remaining silent and nearly motionless as the small camera mounted on its nose continued to relay high definition video footage back to the unknown location. Known as the YS-39 Inugami, this unmanned surveillance drone is a step ahead of the American manufactured RQ-4 Global Hawk. In fact, unlike its American counterpart, the Inugami also boasts a VTOL mode, allowing it to linger over a certain area to continue its surveillance, its dark, radar absorbing coating blending in with the smoke filled sky.<p>

Inside the hidden location, the woman and the older man continued to watch the large screen as the thugs fight off the target's minions. To the target's left, they could see what appeared to be a second of four people who, strangely enough, appeared to be boys. The four boys fought their way toward the much larger group of thugs, who were barely holding their own against the tide of monsters. At their rear, three individuals were using the prototype's spotlights, which were mounted on a small, green truck, to an insufficient effect.

"It seems that the prototype needs to be readjusted," the man deducted. "Not only are the lights too weak to dissolve the target's rituals in a shorter period of time but the fact that they can only be dispersed via only three spotlights means that the prototype is ineffective against hordes of enemies."

"Precisely," the woman said, nodding. "The anti-ability/anti-ritual frequencies need a better dispersal method."

"I would suggest equipping the spotlights with concave lenses. That way, the light can be dispersed over a much wider area."

The woman shook her head. "Actually, I'm starting to think that the use of light is ineffective, especially if the enemy hides inside a building. I was thinking that the use of sound waves would be a better-"

The scene of the battle immediately changed when several explosions of dirt scattered the thugs, as well as flipped over the truck, sending its three occupants and the prototype flying off and landing on the ground. Fortunately, the prototype didn't break into pieces, though only a closer look can determine if the machine had actually suffered any internal damage.

As the dust cleared, the woman's eyes widened in surprise as no less than five, huge, slithering creatures began assaulting the exhausted thugs. Resembling feathered serpents, with yellow petals covering the vines that formed their bodies, these monsters then swallowed a few thugs whole, the helpless men being pushed all the way to large pitcher plants that formed the monsters' stomachs.

After a few seconds, six large, black, bushes that resembling tarantulas crawled out of the hole that the serpentine monsters have dug and joined in the attack, trapping thugs inside of sticky webs, which was then devoured, along with the trapped thugs, by the serpentine monsters. As the thugs were being attacked, the four boys held back, obviously afraid. However, they only gingerly continued instead of running away, much to the woman's surprise.

"I have to say that this is a very dangerous experiment," the man said, shaking his head. "I really hope that the Superintendent knows what he is doing."

The woman only shrugged. "Well," she finally said. "One must be...eccentric in order to create something unique and useful. After all, Academy City continues to exist on such principles."

"I understand that but-" Something on the screen caught the man's attention. Leaning closer to take a better look, the woman could swear that the man's eyes were about to pop out of his sockets. "What the hell is he doing?"

"Who?" Interested, the woman leaned closer, her own eyes widening. "What the hell is that boy trying to do?" she gasped. "Get himself killed?"

* * *

><p>"Hey, you there! You ugly bastard, eat me!" Tensei yelled, jumping up and down and waving his arms. Cocking its head, the serpentine monster he was taunting slithered closer, eyeing the red haired snack hungrily.<p>

"What the hell you're doing, _idiot_?" Tatsu exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "How many times have you landed on your head, _man_?"

Amaito snickered. "Maybe the monster will spit him out because he tastes funny, anyway."

Tatsu whipped around to give Amaito a glare. "This is no time for puns, Amaito-san!"

"What the hell are you planning to do anyway, Tensei-san?" Yumeji questioned, clearly annoyed.

"If I can get the monster to swallow me, I may be able to kill it from the inside," Tensei explained confidently. "It always happens in movies, right?"

"This is real life, idiot!" Tatsu exclaimed. "In real life, you don't come back for more!"

"I am Tensei the Tiger, number one fan of Sogiita Gunha and future husband of Aiho Yomikawa!" Tensei boasted, puffing out his chest. "I will always come-"

Tensei disappeared inside the closing maw of the monster, much to the shock of the other Newbies. They watched in horror as the monster raised its head and gulped Tensei down, the hapless boy slithering down into the large pitcher plant that made up the monster's stomach.

"TENSEI-SAN!" all three Newbie cried out at the same time.

"Don't worry guys!" Tensei called from within the monster's stomach. "I am Tensei the Tiger and no prison can hold me!"

Immediately, the monster's stomach lurched violently as Tensei unleashed his fury. "Tensei Tiger's Stomach Pumper! Tensei Tiger's Roundabout of Death! Tensei Tiger's Face Splitter! Tensei Tiger's Ultimate Uppercut! Tensei Tiger's Apocalyptic Drop Kick!" However, the monster cooed, obviously enjoying Tensei's movements.

Finally, Tensei calmed down, panting. One could almost hear him sucking back tears. "Um, guys, a little help here?"

Swearing profusely, Tatsu lit another roll of firecrackers as Amaito held the plant killer nozzle in his hands and begin spraying the monster. Kneeling down, Yumeji notched two arrows as Tatsu threw the firecrackers. The monster gave out a bellow of agony and thrashed its head around violently as the plant-killing mixture ate away at its body. Yumeji's two arrows then missed by a wide margin while Tatsu's thrown firecrackers were knocked to the side, when they popped harmlessly against a wall.

With a roar of fury, the monster launched itself at Amaito. With a squeal, Amaito barely diverolled out of the way as the monster tore pass him, burrowing itself into the ground. Feeling tensed, Tatsu, Yumeji, and Amaito waited as the ground rumbled underneath them. Fear began to well up inside of Amaito as he realized that, anytime soon, the monster will erupt out of the ground, most likely with one of them within its jaws.

"What do we do now?" Amaito huffed, glancing nervously at the other monsters in the distance. Capturing any unlucky thugs they could find, none of them have noticed them, at least not yet.

"So much for saving Academy City," Tatsu grumbled, spitting on the ground. He was about to stomp the ground in frustration when Yumeji stopped him.

"Don't. Move," Yumeji ordered, bending down slowly to pick up a rock by his feet. Taking a deep breath, Yumeji threw the rock a few meters away, watching as it skipped along the ground.

"What the hell are you're trying-" Tatsu was saying when the serpentine monster erupted from where the rock has landed. The creature then roared in anger, frustrated about not finding a live snack within its jaws. Nearly half of its head has withered away, courtesy of the plant killing chemical.

"I figured that, since this monster acts like one of those giant sandworms in that movie, it would be able to detect movement on the surface while moving underground," Yumeji reasoned. Taking an arrow out of his quiver, he held it out to Tatsu. "Now, hurry up and light my arrow before it goes back underground!"

Immediately, Tatsu sprayed the tip of the arrow and, fishing for his lighter, found it and ignited the flammable liquid. With a smirk, Yumeji notched the flaming arrow and aimed it at the monster just as the large creature turned its head to face the three boys.

"Don't sweat this one too much, plant," Yumeji muttered as the monster raged. "Hell is much hotter."

Yumeji released the arrow, sending the flaming projectile sailing toward the monster's face. The arrow embedded itself into one of the creature's eyes, setting the surrounding leafy tissues on fire. Screeching in agony, the monster thrashed around as the fire consumed what was left of its face. Its stomach began to convulse violently.

"Hey!" Tensei yelled out from inside, splashing around in some sort of liquid. "What's going on out there-WAIT! Oh no, no, no! No, please, no!"

Yumeji, Amaito, and Tatsu tensed as Tensei's screams became louder. "What's going on in there?" Amaito called out.

"No, please, not there! Anywhere but there! Someone, save me! I don't want to go down there!"

The three Newbies listened in horror as Tensei gave several bloodcurdling screams as the monster finally collapsed, fire eating away at what remained of its head. Its stomach finally stopped convulsed and became still. Tensei's screams became muffled for a few minutes before finally falling silent.

"Tensei-san?" Tatsu called out as Yumeji lowered his head, his face filled with sadness. Nearby, Amaito's mouth was opened wide in shock. No response came out of the creature's bowels.

"Tensei-san!" Tatsu yelled out, tears forming in his eyes. He couldn't believe that this was happening. It was too much for him to handle. Nearby, Amaito begin the sob as Yumeji gave a deep sigh.

"TENSEI-SAN, DAMMIT, SAY SOMETHING!" Tatsu bellowed out. "YOU ARE NOT DEAD! YOU ARE STILL ALIVE! I WANT YOU TO TEAR YOUR WAY OUT OF THAT MONSTER RIGHT NOW!" The monster's corpse didn't even bulge.

"Come on, Tatsu-san," Yumeji calmly reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We must stop Rosaria from doing the same thing to everyone in this city, as well as find Cleon-san. It's what Tensei-san would've wanted."

Growling, Tatsu slapped Yumeji's hand away and turned to glare at him, tears streaming down his face. "How can you even speak in such a way when Tensei-san had just been killed?" he snapped. "We've just lost a friend and you talk about moving on?"

Sighing, Yumeji leaned back, clearly irritated. "_Yes_, I am pissed about Tensei-san's death and, _yes_, I will miss him but we have a job to do. If we get killed here while mourning too soon, Tensei-san would've died in vain!"

"I don't care! I don't care! We are not warriors or soldiers; we are only students! Students whose most foolish and costly mistake was to go chasing after a dangerous magician! We should've let Anti-Skill handle this. They have the weapons and skills, we don't!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?" This time, Yumeji was pissed. "What about Academy City, which we are trying to save? What about Cleon-san, who'd helped us when we were going nowhere with getting back our Unaberu? Are you going to just throw away all of that simply because Tensei-san had died?"

"Screw you, Yumeji-san!" Tatsu roared, stepping threatening into Yumeji's personal space. "I don't care that you was his very first friend. That doesn't mean that you understand anything at all-"

"Guys, look!" Amaito shouted, pointing. "The monster is moving!"

Turning, Tatsu and Yumeji gritted their teeth as the monster's tail convulsed. They watched as a bulge moved slowly toward the tip of the tail, much to the chagrin of the three Newbies. Amaito and Tatsu begin to have disgusted looks on their faces as Yumeji continued to watch, his eyes narrowed warily.

"First, our friend had just been killed and, now, we're about to watch a monster lose its bowels," Tatsu grumbled. "Thanks a frigging lot, writer!"

"Wait," Amaito said, raising a hand. He seemed to be listening to something. "Do you guys hear that?"

Sure enough, the sounds of sobbing became louder as the bulge neared the tip of the monster's tail. Soon enough the sounds of rumbling joined the sobbing as the bulge arrived and stretched the tail. The Newbies watched as something slimy slid out, a flash of red covered in mucus.

They watched as a mucus-covered and crying Tensei gets expelled out... through what the three unanimously agreed to be the monster's anus.

Tensei grunted as he landed on the ground, the mucus spilling onto the ground. Wiping the slimy substance off of his face, as well as his tears, Tensei glanced up to see his friends looking directly at him, shocked looks on their faces. "What you're looking at?" he grumbled, clearly humiliated.

"Thank goodness that you're alive!" Tatsu cried, his own eyes filled with tears. "We'd thought that you were dead!"

Jumping up, Tensei put on his best confident look, smirking as if he was the one who'd killed the monster that ate him. "Tensei the Tiger never dies!" he chuckled, placing his hands on his hips. "He only takes breaks!"

"Yeah, a bathroom break!" Amaito snorted, laughing. "So, how's your trip?"

Clenching his hands into fists, Tensei's face turned red as a stress mark bulged on his forehead. "Say that again, I dare you!" he growled.

"I guess that plant monsters don't digest spicy foods, eh?" Amaito continued, bursting out laughing.

Roaring, Tensei launched himself at Amaito, only to be grabbed in midair by Yumeji. "Good to have you back, Tensei-san," he said, smirking, setting Tensei down. Yumeji then gulped as he tried to keep his revolting stomach under control as mucus dripped off his own arms and shirt.

"I could kiss you right now if you haven't...um..." Tatsu eyed the mucus dripping off of Tensei's clothing. Blue lines of disgust covered his face.

"Don't mention it," Tensei grumbled, even more embarrassed. "Anyway, let go kick Rosaria's butt. _No one_ does this to me and gets away with it!"

"That may be a problem," Amaito, now really afraid, pointed. In the distance, the monsters were heading toward them, hungry looks on their faces.

Quickly, the Newbies huddled together, their weapons ready. While Yumeji continued to go over some plans in his head, Amaito and Tatsu were visibly shaken as the odds of losing became painfully clear. However, only Tensei seemed to be upset.

"Oh perfect, just perfect!" he grumbled. "I'd left my weapons inside that monster. They must've gotten lodged somewhere inside or something."

"Just use your hands or something," Amaito replied, sniffing. He then jerked away instantly. "Phew, what is that smell?"

"SHUT UP!"

"We're doomed!" Tatsu whined. "There are too many monsters! I don't think that the combined attack that Amaito and Yumeji have used in that last battle will work this time!"

"At least we can take as many of them down with us as we can," Amaito reasoned.

"Yes, but Academy City would still be in danger!"

"What we need is a hero," Tensei concluded, smirking. "And that would be m-"

Suddenly, something screamed by at an astonishing speed, trailing a streak of red light. Though it was about five meters away, the sonic boom the thing created was enough to stun the Newbies. However, the real blast arrived nanoseconds later from up ahead as the object in question slammed into the nearest serpentine monster with the force of a giant's punch.

The resulting explosion was unlike anything the Newbie's have ever seen. In fact, it made the blasts caused by the hand cannons look like firecrackers. It had even made Amaito and Yumeji's combined ability look weak. A third of the monsters were obliterated by the explosion, including all of the mandrake mages and the turrets. As immediately as it has arrived, the explosion dissipated, the ionized air itself crackling with electricity.

Rosaria leaped out of her throne, shock and fury written all over her face. "Who dares impede my victory?" she roared, breathing fast. "Children, destroy them all!"

"You should focus more on saving your own skin, Sister," a voice spoke out from a dark alley nearby. Electricity began to flicker inside, creating flashes of light that barely revealed the person's identity. "You're the one who's going to be zapped to a crisp." Sure enough, a second object zipped out of the alley.

Yelping, Rosaria dove out of the way just as the object slammed into her throne, blasting the wooden creation to splinters. Coughing, Rosaria got back up just as the dust began to settle. She then chuckled derisively as the person stepped out of the alley. "Well, well, well, what do we have here, another sinner who wants to die?" she mocked.

The Newbies' eyes gazed at the person in awe as she continued to walk, electricity crackling all over her body. Looking around, the person saw the Newbies standing to the side and stopped a few meters away, recognizing one of them immediately. The person was wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. A smirk spread across her face and she approached, possessing a feeling of warmth, despite the fact that she can melt a thug's face off with electricity within seconds.

Stepping forward, Tatsu returned the smirk as he reached out and, to the other Newbies' surprise, quickly hugged the newcomer. "Welcome, old friend," Tatsu finally said. "It took you long enough, Mikoto-san."

"Well," Mikoto said, grinning, keeping an eye on the monsters that was approaching slowly. "Dealing with all of the chaos that's happening now, I was just looking for the cause of it all when I heard a lot of racket coming from this location. Took me a while to fight through the guards back there but, eventually, it seems that I've arrived just in time. Anyway, what are you guys doing here?"

"We're here to rescue our friend, as well as stop Rosaria from destroying Academy City."

"Awesome, so do you have a plan?"

"Tatsu," Amaito gasped in amazement. "You-you _know_ the Railgun?"

"AWESOME!" Tensei shouted sarcastically, making Tatsu and Mikoto jump. Amaito could tell that the Railgun's being here was the last thing he really wanted. "Anyway, what do we do?"

"I have an idea," Yumeji said, looking over the battlefield. His eyes then fell on the hand cannons scattered on the ground, their users long eaten whole by the monsters. "However, we're going to need the Railgun's help."

* * *

><p>"...uhmmm..."<p>

Cleon blinked, his vision slightly blurry, as he finally came to. Sitting up, Cleon removed his glasses momentarily to wipe dust off of his face before putting them back on. Looking around, he gasped in shock at the amount of devastation that surrounded him. Crowbar, knifes, and other melee weapons were scattered all over the battlefield, which was now rendered unrecognizable by huge holes and craters that marred the otherwise dirty asphalt surface. Even the three large cannoneers were missing. It was becoming quite clear that the Gekota Army has lost the battle.

Several low growls in the distance alerted Cleon to the presence of the strange attackers and he got onto his feet and peered in the direction of the animalistic sounds. Though the distant scene was blanketed by smoke, which seemed to be caused by a rather powerful explosion, Cleon could make out several huge, serpentine shapes, as well as other, smaller shapes skittering on the ground. Whatever, creatures they may be, they seemed to be preoccupied with something else and; thus, isn't an immediate threat. In the distance, electricity arched in the air, obliterating some of the creatures. However, Cleon couldn't determine the source of the electricity or what was currently occupying the creatures.

Looking around again, Cleon caught sight of the Gekota leader and Shinataki lying on the ground nearby. Making his way to them, Cleon begin checking their carotid pulses. Though they were still alive, Cleon knew that he won't be expecting anything from them anytime soon.

Turning around, Cleon saw the machine laying approximately four meters from the green, overturned pickup truck. Though the cylindrical machine was still in one piece, its surface was marred with small dents and a few scrapes here and there. One of the spotlights; however, were partly destroyed.

Making his way over to the machine, Cleon carefully rolled the machine back onto its base, listening as loose pieces clattered around inside the machine. Grabbing a spotlight, he flipped the switch, only to be greatly disappointed, as no light shone from the device.

Cleon then let out a deep sigh and proceeded to unfasten each panel on the machine's side, slowly taking the device apart. A sense of dread, as well as a slight relief, overflowed Cleon as each part of the machine dropped to the ground. In the distance, the battle between the creatures and the unknown attackers escalated. In fact, the hairs on the back of Cleon's neck sticked out as more electricity saturated the air.

After taking out enough panels, Cleon looked inside the machine and gave another sigh at what he saw. Pieces of the machine had broken off and now lay uselessly as a pile. The strange prism, having been knocked loose off of its mount by the machine's rough landing, was shattered into fragments. One of the lasers were heavily damaged and hung uselessly by a lone wire from its mount. Needless to say, the greatest weapon in the Gekota Army's arsenal was gone.

"What the hell are you're doing, boy?"

Cleon's heart leaped into his throat as he jumped, recognizing the voice instantly. Turning his head slowly to look behind him, Cleon's heart sank at the sight of Shinataki. Battered and bruised, the large Gekota thug looked pissed, as well as a bit relieved that he was now alone with Cleon. Behind him, the Gekota leader lay on the ground, still unconscious.

"Hey boy, are you even listening?" Shinataki growled again. "What the hell are you doing?"

Gulping down his fear, Cleon straightened up and spoke, "The machine is broken so I was trying to find out the extent of the damage."

Even more pissed, Shinataki took a threatening step forward. By the bulging stress marks on his neck and forehead, Cleon could tell that the thug was doing everything he can to hold in his rage. "You mean to tell me that we're doomed, that we have lost this war?"

Swallowing, Cleon shook his head. "Well, not exactly," he reasoned. "We still have those explosive charges. If we can get close enough to Rosaria and follow my plan, then we can-"

"Do what, boy, get ourselves killed?" Shinataki raged, clenching his fists as he took another step. "I had enough of your smartass bullcrap! I can't believe that you wanted to risk _my_ boys' lives for some stupid, suicidal plan!"

"I understand that the plan is risky but-"

"YOU UNDERSTAND NOTHING AT ALL!" Shinataki roared, backhanding Cleon fiercely, knocking his glasses off. Cleon grunted as he was knocked onto the ground, his glasses landing a few feet away. Cleon groaned on the ground, blindly searching for his glasses while Shinataki stood over him.

"You understand nothing at all!" Shinataki repeated. "You're just like the other ability users! You're looking down on us, mocking our inadequacies. So high and mighty, you wouldn't blink at the opportunity to sacrifice a handful of Level 0's_. 'Oh they're just a gang of worthless peons,'_ you'll say, _'How about I use a few of them as cannon fodder to help destroy the enemy? Sure they'll all die but so what? This city will now be much more beautiful and safer than ever before, thanks to their 'noble sacrifices'. Only the strong will survive, anyway.' _"

"You're wrong!" Cleon yelled out. "No matter what your levels are, you guys are still people! Anyone who bullies you because of your level is nothing but a monster! Look, even I have two friends who are-"

"Don't try to fool me, boy!" Shinataki growled before bringing a boot down on Cleon's glasses. The sound of shattering glass sent a pang of shock through Cleon's mind and he gasped, realizing that he was now at a severe disadvantage.

Looking up into the blurry face of Shinataki, Cleon couldn't help but to feel a sense of disgust and pity for the thug. Here was a person who claimed to be a victim of oppression, yet is a bully himself. He has the nerve to call others monsters, yet he is the worst of them all. Gathering his courage, Cleon balled his fists and stood up, looking up into the blurry face of Shinataki with a determined expression. If this was truly the end, he might as well go down fighting.

"If you had really been bullied by ability users," Cleon said levelly. "Why are you acting like them? I thought that they were the ones who were doing the oppressing."

Growling, Shinataki leaned closer threateningly. "What your damn point, boy?"

"My name is _Cleon_, not _boy_!" Cleon growled, clenching his fists. "And for your information, Shinataki-san, my point is that, by using your strength to hurt innocent people, especially those who either feel sorry for you or just want to get on with their lives, you are acting exactly like your oppressors, a _monster_!"

With a roar, Shinataki slammed a meaty fist into Cleon's abdomen. Spurting out saliva, Cleon was sent flying into the machine. His stomach began to protest violently and Cleon tried his best to keep his food down. However, before he could move, Shinataki wrapped both hands around his neck, pinning him to the machine, and begin to strangle the helpless student. Gasping for air, Cleon struggled to free himself from the thug's grasp, to no avail. Seconds later, his world began to grow dim.

"You smart-mouthed runt!" Shinataki growled, tightening his grip. "No one tells me off and gets away with it! _No one_!"

His eyes rolling back, Cleon's hand searched for anything to knock Shinataki off of him with. Searching the ground underneath him, Cleon's fingers grasped the edge of a large object. With a gasp, Cleon swinged the heavy object, slamming it into Shinataki's head. The object in question broke into dozens of pieces, leaving Cleon with a piece in his grasp. Shocked by the sudden impact, Shinataki toppled over, landing on the ground with an audible _*Umph!*_

Still holding the piece, Cleon felt around its edges and smooth, convex surface, realizing that he was holding onto the lens of the damaged spotlight. An idea struck him and Cleon held the lens in front of his face. Though his vision was still blurry, he can see clear enough to make out details in the immediate area.

At his feet, Shinataki was barely conscious, lying amid pieces of the spotlight. Painfully bending down, Cleon tore off one of Shinataki's sleeves and used it to tie the lens to his face, leaving his nose and mouth uncovered. Using bits of wiring to stabilize the assembled object, Cleon gave a tired smile of satisfaction at his handiwork and was about to turn toward the machine when he saw three figures running toward him. Despite his blurry vision, a tear flowed down a cheek as he recognized the very people he'd been waiting for and he wildly waved his hands over his head, feeling for the first time in hours a sense of joy.

"Yeehoo, look who's here!" Tensei wooted, pointing. "Cleon-san's here!"

Looking in the distance, Tatsu beamed while Amaito breathed a sigh of relief. Behind the three Newbies, Mikoto and Yumeji were busy fighting off the monsters, drawing their attention, while they were making their way toward the hand cannons. "About time, too!" he shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "Thanks for cooperating for once, writer!"

"Now that we've found Cleon-san," Amaito said, huffing. "We can now save Academy City!"

Rushing over to his friends, Cleon traded hugs with them, really happy to be reunited. Glancing over to the battle ahead, Cleon yawned, adjusting his eyewear. "So, where's Yumeji?" he asked.

"He's back there, helping Mikoto keep Rosaria's minions occupied," Tatsu explained. "As for us, we're about to unleash some heavy firepower on them from behind."

"Mikoto..." Cleon blinked, remembering something. "You mean Mikoto Misaka as in 'Mikoto Misaka the Railgun'?"

"Right," Amaito confirmed.

"On a more important note, what are you wearing?" Tensei asked, obviously not interested in any Railgun related topics. He eyed Cleon's eyewear curiously.

"One of those Gekota thugs broke my glasses so I have to use this instead. It's not perfect but it's better than nothing."

The three Newbies were befuddled. "Gekota thugs, what do you mean?" Tensei asked, confused.

"I'll explain later. Anyway, what do you mean by 'unleashing heavy firepower?"

"We're going to use those hand cannons over there to bombard them," Amaito explained, pointing to the three hand cannons lying on the ground nearby. "Tatsu said that they are very powerful."

"Precisely," Cleon confirmed, nodding. "In fact, since each gunpowder charge also contains nitroglycerin, the recoil is very powerful, which means that we would only be able to use one cannon at a time."

The three Newbie's blinked in confusion. "Nitroglycerin?" Tatsu muttered. "How the hell did you know that?"

Cleon shrugged. "The leader of these thugs told me."

"Nobody had _told_ me that we would meet a gang who's packed with this much firepower."

"Who cares? We now have their guns!" Tensei grinned, giddy over the prospect of owning a makeshift but powerful weapon. "Now let's go blow up Rose Face and her monsters!"

The four boys ran over to the nearest hand cannon and picked it up. While Tensei was gathering the charges, Tatsu and Amaito held the weapon between them while Cleon was giving them instructions on how to brace for the recoil. "Place one foot in the direction the gun is facing and the other in the other direction. Keep most of your weight on the foot ahead of you. That way, you would least likely be knocked onto your seats once the weapon fires."

"Great, but who'll fire the weapon?" Tatsu asked.

"Tensei will fire the weapon while you and Amaito aim it at the monsters."

"Woohoo!" Tensei shouted, holding an armful of charges. "I've always wanted to use a hand cannon! So, how do I shoot?"

After going over with Tensei on how to use the weapon, Cleon added, "When you load the charge, make sure that the pointed end is facing outward. I believe that that's where the shot is."

Tensei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Sounded a bit old-fashioned."

Cleon smirked. "Trust me; things are going to become weirder from this point forward. Now, let's help the others."

* * *

><p>"Your six, Yumeji! Watch your six!"<p>

Wasting no time, Yumeji had no trouble diverolling just in time to avoid being jumped from behind by one of the black, tarantulas/bushes hybrids. The spider-like creature gave a frustrated screech and was about to attack Yumeji again when a powerful wall of sound blasted its leaves off, as well as stripped off its bark. Seconds later, a lightning bolt tore the stunned creature apart, causing its flaming pieces to scatter everywhere.

"Thanks Mikoto," Yumeji said, launching a ball of sound at a charging, serpentine creature. Distracted by the attack, the monster crashed into the side of a building and fell on another tarantula/bush, crushing the creature under its weight. Meanwhile, Mikoto destroyed the last of the spider-like creatures.

A quick glance around revealed that there were two serpentines and about seven mandrakes remaining. As Yumeji was around to fight one of the larger monsters, he noticed movement in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, Yumeji's eye's narrowed slightly when he saw who he figured to be the thugs the Newbies were supposed to meet crawling out of the remains of the serpentine monsters. Though battered and bruised, they were alive and covered in mucus and plant juices.

Mikoto noticed the thugs too. "There are people inside those monsters?" she asked incredulously.

Yumeji simply shrugged. "Those guys were unlucky enough to end up as their lunch. However, unlike Tensei-san, they seemed to have gotten out through less...disgusting ways."

Blue lines of disgust covered Mikoto's forehead as she understood Yumeji's meaning...or at least tried. "Must've been hard on Tensei-san," she finally said, shuddering. "Besides, being vomited out has got to be embarrassing."

Yumeji used a ball of sound to blast a mandrake away. "Being vomited out would've been too merciful."

Mikoto was about to respond when a loud blast roared out in the distance. Seconds later, one of the serpentines was ripped in half by a projectile, which slammed into a building, tearing off a large chunk of concrete. Three mandrakes were crushed under the weight of the two halves. Seconds later, several thugs slipped out through a hole ripped open from the top portion of the stomach by the projectile, fatigued and beaten.

Glancing toward the source of the blast, Yumeji could see Amaito and Tatsu barely recovering from the recoil of the hand cannon while Tensei was reloading the weapon. However, the sight of Cleon was enough to uplift his spirits. Cleon appeared to be guiding the others in operating the weapon. There was no question about how such a shot could easily kill the monster, yet avoid hitting the entrapped thugs, even freeing them in the process.

Yumeji was about to speak when he heard loud clapping behind him. Whipping his head around, Yumeji narrowed his eyes when he saw Rosaria clapping, a derisive smile on her face. Around Yumeji and Mikoto, the monsters stood motionless, obvious waiting for something that Yumeji couldn't put his finger on, just as he couldn't understand why Rosaria had simply sat around on a newly built throne of wood and vines and watched as the two destroyed her creations. It was as if she was studying their tactics.

"Kudos to you heathens for making it this far," she announced, grinning evilly. "Unfortunately, I've reached the end of my patience here and I am now dying to end this battle for good! Do not fret, blasphemers, for I will remember you as the children who _almost_ won against me, Rosaria Comneus!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Mikoto demanded, electricity crackling across her eyes. "You have lost this war! Give up now or you will be burnt to a crisp!"

Rosaria only chuckled. "I see that you heathens haven't heard of a magician's magical name. You see, we have a certain name, a special name that, if said to our enemies, will let them know that, from this point on, nothing will be held back!"

"I'd rather believe in the Tooth Fairy than the crap that's flowing out of your mouth," Yumeji said levelly.

"Humph!" Rosaria scoffed, folding her arms. "You know what people always say: 'Experience is the best teacher.'" Taking a deep breath, Rosaria spoke, her voice bearing a hint of the arcane. "I am Horti349, the Gardener who yearns for Eden!"

Raising her arms up, Rosaria's eyes glowed brightly as she began to mumble an incantation:

_"Leaves to trees, orchards to forests._

_May the humble be exalted above the very best!_

_Come to me, Mother Earth, and lend me the power that's befitting your wizened age,_

_So that all defilers and polluters can be swept away by your merciless rage!"_

Suddenly, the remaining mandrakes and the lone serpentine exploded into leaves and begin to swarm toward Rosaria, whirling around her. Grunting Yumeji and Mikoto covered their faces as dust begins to swirl around Rosaria. Soon enough, the swirling mass of leaves and dust build in size as more leaves swarmed in from the city.

Far off, the four boys watched as the tornado grew in size, expressions of shock and fear on their faces.

"Stupid writer!" Tatsu yelled, shaking a fist into the air. "Why do you have to give us a tough opponent to fight?"

"So this is her full potential," Amaito summarized, very afraid. "We're doomed!"

"Wait, are you referring to God?" Cleon asked Tatsu, confused.

"No, not _God_. I'm talking about the writer of this whole thing!" Tatsu growled. "He always looks for ways to mess me over!"

"Looks like you've just pissed him off, big time," Tensei said sarcastically, pointing at the tornado. Huge vines were growing out of its base. "Now ask him to make me super strong."

"Go buy an udon and shove it!"

"What do we do now?" Amaito asked, frightened.

"We must keep firing," Cleon said with finality. "Hopefully, we can somehow interrupt her." Needlessly to say, the others nodded and quickly got back to work.

"_Warning: Dangerous turbulence detected. Gyroscope instability detected. Auto correctors are insufficient for the task of regaining stability." _

Alarms rang out across the control console as the drone struggled to stay aloft. The miniature tornado's force was too much for the Inugami to handle and, in any minute, the drone will finally be caught up in the powerful winds and would most likely be smashed to pieces against a building. Nevertheless, the people in the control room have a job to do.

"Keep it steady!" the professor ordered. "We must see how the Railgun and her accomplices will handle the threat!"

"Yes sir," one of the people at the controls said, nodding.

Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, the woman went over some thoughts in her head. Obviously, the experiment has failed miserably. However, concerning what she had just learned, it wasn't a _complete_ failure. Sure, the Skill-Out gang in question had been utterly defeated but the woman has gained some insight into who the newcomers were. The fact that they were able to fight off the target's minions, albeit while being weirdly dressed, said something about their past experiences, especially that of the red haired, rowdy boy and the tall boy with long, brown hair. Whoever these four boys are, being in fights is clearly nothing new to them, at least against human opponents.

What had really caught the woman's attention was the fifth boy, who was identified as one of the three people operating the prototype. Not only did the boy appeared out of place from the tough-looking gang but, by the way he had partly taken the prototype apart, one could tell that he knew exactly what he was doing. The prototype was designed in a way that makes it easier to put together than to take apart.

Despite the shaky footage, the woman could see that the boy was guiding the two boys holding up what appeared to be one of the handmade hand cannons the thugs were using, helping them line up the shot. Interested, the woman ordered one of the controllers to zoom in slightly on the four boy's position, an eyebrow cocked as she realized that the cannon was slightly off center, aiming at a point away from the tornado's center instead. The woman tsked and shook her head. At that distance, the shot would easily be deflected by the high-speed winds, glazing the target instead. Soon enough, the boys fired the cannon, bucking against the powerful recoil.

Second later, an explosion of leaves and vines erupted from, of all places, the center of the tornado. Immediately, the tornado seemed to howl in pain, although its rotating winds didn't even die down a bit. Surprised, the woman rushed to the monitors and took a closer look, unable to believe her eyes. She didn't expect the projectile to hit right on target. At first, the woman was dumbfound, not sure about how such a shot could ever be successful. Finally, when she remembered where the cannon was aiming, a realization begin to dawn on her: the boys had studied the force and direction of the rotary winds and _knew_ exactly in which direction to fire the shot. As a result, the tornado has actually _pushed_ the otherwise unsuccessful shot straight into its own center!

The woman kept her eyes on the boy in question, the one responsible for the lucky shot. "I wonder who you are," she muttered.

Suddenly, the video jerked violently as the drone finally succumbed to the powerful winds.

"_Warning: Turbulence exceeding dangerous levels. Gyroscope instability increased. Auto correctors' function is unsuccess-"_

As sudden as it had begun, the video footage abruptly cut off and was replaced by static. For a moment, everyone was silent. Finally the professor spoke, "Now that the drone has been destroyed, what are our orders?"

Thinking for a few seconds, the woman finally sighed, wringing her hands. "Inform Anti-Skill and the other emergency services of the location of interest. Also, have the recovery team ready within fifteen minutes. We must recover the prototype."

"Nothing's happening!" Amaito called out to be heard over the howling winds.

"There is no way that these weak shots can kill that thing!" Tatsu shouted. "We need something stronger, like the Railgun's signature move!"

"Or a tank!" Tensei called out.

"No, the Railgun's more powerful," Tatsu disagreed, shaking his head. "She can even-hey, why are those thugs running away?" Sure enough, the thugs of the Gekota Army were fleeing, scattering off in different directions. The terrified expressions on their faces showed that they have had enough of this and simply wanted to hole up in somewhere safe and wait out the war. Despite that fact that they wanted to use the machine against innocent students, Cleon actually felt sorry for them.

"I guess that those bastards turned out to have nerves that are _way_ softer than steel," Tensei said, grinning.

"Yeah," Tatsu agreed. "Not everyone is turned out for the rigors of combat."

"Maybe they're smarter than us, if you think about it," Amaito suggested, whimpering.

"Well, at least we'll be heroes." Tensei said, suddenly becoming tensed. "Hey, something's happening!"

Looking at where Tensei was pointing, the others tensed as the tornado finally bursted, scattering leaves and dust everywhere. Shielding their eyes, the boys' eyes widening at the sight of the most horrifying creature they have ever seen. Standing at approximately sixteen meters high, the monstrous plant swayed around on a thorny stem that was as wide as a dump truck. A large gaping hole near the base of the stem, where the projectile had struck, was healing rapidly. Flaying around two monstrous leaves larger than even the canopy that shielded the Gekota hideout from the sun, the monster waved around a huge head that resembled a rose. In the center of the bud, six lips opened up like petals, each outfitted with sharp teeth.

"How do you love my beautiful form?" Rosaria's voice echoed out through the monstrous mouth. "Something as beautiful as a rose can be just as vicious as the thorns that dot its stem, though."

""Hah, I've fought worst enemies than you!" Mikoto retorted. "You're nothing but an overgrown vegetable ready to be steamed!"

Rosaria scoffed. "Obviously, you haven't fought me before, Railgun! In fact, let's see if you can fight me...without your powers! Suddenly, a thick mist erupted from Rosaria's mouth, quickly blanketing Yumeji and Mikoto. Suddenly, electricity stopped arching around Mikoto's forehead. Gritting her teeth, Mikoto tried to conjured up electricity but couldn't. Yumeji also found himself unable to use his ability.

"Don't even think about holding in your breath this time!" Rosaria continued. "In fact, the oily substance that's now covering your skin in currently nullifying your powers. It's too bitter tasting to lick off, if you're even planning to do just that, and there is no water in sight. You are now too weak to stop me!"

"Damn!" Mikoto swore.

"Quickly, reload the gun!" Cleon ordered, keeping his eyes on Rosaria.

Aware of his presence, she then turned to look at him. "Well, what do we have here?" she asked, a huge green tongue licking her six lips. "You're the boy who'd rid me of my victory last time. It shall not happen again!" The ground seemed to rumble as something tunneled underneath, streaking toward the four boys at an alarming rate.

"The gun's ready to fire," Tatsu announced.

"Fire-!" The moment that Tensei has squeezed the button, a large root erupted out of the ground, smashing into the hand cannon like a huge fist. The shot missed by a wide margin, streaking down an alley instead. However, that didn't matter, as Cleon and his friends were knocked into the air.

"_So much for my first weekend here,"_ Cleon thought drearily as he and the others begin screaming as they flew off in different directions.

To be continued...


	8. 1st Encounter with the Other Side, Final

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long delay in posting this next chapter in the story. Life has a funny way of slowing down even the most prompt of writers, not to mention that I'm currently working on two other stories. Anyway, enjoy the story! The story cover will be added shortly.**

**P.S.: The disclaimer is going to be located on the prologue of the story.**

**Chapter 7: First Encounter with the Other Side, Part 5**

**On the streets of Academy City, 8 miles northeast of the Newbie's location**

**10:05 pm**

"Onee-sama, where the hell are you?!"

Doing a backflip to avoid the slash of the knife, the girl panted, facing the strange doppelganger of an elderly man. Her Tokiwadai uniform was dirty and torn and a drop of blood fell from a cut on her chin. Her green armband, which depicted the white shield and stripes of Judgment, was mostly intact. As one of the strange attackers who are now wreaking havoc on the city, this foe seems to be nothing more than a bunch of leaves that can assume the form of a human being. Not only was the monster so human-like in appearance but the emotionless stare the thing gave chilled the girl to the core. Like a mindless machine, this being will continue to hurt innocent civilians until it is either destroyed or there is no longer anyone remaining.

At all costs, it and its brethren must be stopped.

Reaching down, the girl waved a hand over a band holding several iron stakes that was strapped around her right thigh, touching each of them. While doing this, the girl ran some brief calculations in her head, using Cartesian functions. Instantly, the stakes disappeared. After a couple of seconds, the stakes reappeared, sticking out of the being's chest.

However, the stakes only succeeded in putting holes in the leaves that made up the being's body. Barely harmed, the being charged, knife held high. Swearing under her breath, the girl touched one of the stakes on another band on her left leg, teleporting the object. Seconds later, the knife's blade fell off the handle when the stake reappeared, wedged between the two parts. Not even grunting in frustration, the being continued charging, its fingers transforming into claws.

Concentrating for a moment, the girl teleported behind the being and unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick, knocking it into two pieces. Taking a deep breath, the girl gasped as she barely dodged a dagger of leaves that attacked her from behind, drawing blood from a new cut on her cheek as well as cutting off a few strands from one of her two curly, auburn ponytails. Off balanced, she teleported to a safe distance away just as the two halves recombined.

Panting, the girl scanned her surroundings, looking for whatever she can use to her advantage. Nearby, more of the dangerous beings were moving around, too preoccupied with creating chaos to notice her. Cars were overturned, building windows were smashed in, and lamp posts were pulled down. Several of the creatures were ripping apart a cleaner bot, its mechanical parts reflecting light cast by a nearby burning building.

_Fire. Leaves. Teleportation. _

Suddenly, an idea popped up inside the girl's head and she couldn't help but to smile. Taking several deep breaths, she ran toward the monster, which was staggering toward her, its right limb morphed into a long sword. Time seemed to slow down as the girl closed the distance, her arms spread out as to give the monster a hug. Raising its weapon, the monster swinged the bladed weapon down, attempting to cut her down. Teleporting at the last second, the girl appeared behind the monster and, before the being could respond, wrapped her arms around its midsection. Praying that the monster wouldn't disintegrate into leaves and that the fire was at least 81 meters away or less, the girl concentrated for a moment and unleashed her power. In the blink of an eye, the entire monster disappeared. Seconds later, a howl of agony joined the general cacophony as the monster found itself inside the heart of the blaze, eventually burning to ashes.

Wiping sweat off of her forehead, the girl breathed a sigh of relief and turned around, staring down the crowd of beings that were now turning toward her. A few of them were even beginning to charge.

Spitting on the ground, the girl smiled derisively and got into a combat stance, taunting the monsters with the beckon of a hand.

"Come on, you bastards," she muttered as they got closer, their arms morphed into various weapons. Like a mother bear robbed of her cubs (figuratively of course), this girl is looking for her beloved Onee-sama and she, Kuroko Shirai, will find her or die trying.

'''''''''''''''''

**Rosaria's Hideout**

**10:17 pm**

"I WANT MY MOMMY!" Tensei cried, tears streaming out of his face, as he ran all over the place. Behind him, roots were erupting out of the ground, chasing him. Suddenly, a large root erupted in front of him, threatening to crush him under its weight. Just as it was about to fall on him, it became stiff, jerking involuntarily. At the same time, Rosaria screamed loudly in pain, desperately shaking one of her huge petals. There, a growing fire raged, which was started by a flaming arrow shot by Yumeji.

"Hyee-yah!" Tensei bellowed, his bravado returning as he got into a combat stance. "Your life became forfeit the moment you stood in my way!" Tensei then unleashed a series of punches and kicks on the root, knocking holes into the juicy tissue. Suddenly, a small root in the shape of a human fist shot out of the surface and smashed into his face. Caught unawares by the sucker punch, Tensei didn't even scream as he flew into the squishy corpse of a serpentine monster, plunging into the squishy tissue .

Meanwhile, Cleon, Amaito, Tatsu, Yumeji, and Mikoto were spread out all over the place, attempting to disorient Rosaria with various feints and sneak attacks. According to Cleon, the tactic relies on the fact that Rosaria cannot concentrate on multiple targets at once if they're attacking her at random intervals. The plan worked perfectly in the beginning, with Rosaria being harried by thrown firecrackers here and sprays of plant killer there. However, it wasn't until Rosaria has summoned several strange plants resembling eyeballs when the plan quickly went south. To make matters worse, Rosaria has filled the surrounding area with thick, writhing roots, making even approaching her suicidal. Therefore, the student decided that it was safer to stick together.

"Hey, Amaito-san, can you use your ability or something?" Tatsu asked tensely, barely dodging a root shooting out of the ground. "You can make the earth too hard for the roots to travel through."

"I don't think that I'm that powerful yet, Tatsu-san!" Amaito yelled back. Tatsu could swear that Amaito looked dejected. "If I could control fire instead of earth and stone or if I was more powerful, I'd help you guys more. Hell, I'd help _everybody_."

"Ack, this stuff is sticky!" Mikoto complained, pulling her hands free of her nullifying substance-drenched shirt. "When this is over, I am really going to take a long bath."

"Keep firing flaming arrows, Yumeji-san!" Cleon called out, armed with a switchblade and a crowbar he'd picked off the ground. "Keep her distracted so that-"

Cleon was interrupted when a root flew out at him. Cleon dove out of the way, dodging the attack, only for a second root to smash into him. Cleon screamed as he was sent flying over to where the broken anti-ritual/ability machine laid. With a loud grunt, he landed onto the concrete and tumbled a few meters away. He appeared to lay still.

"Cleon-san!" the others screamed simultaneously.

With a quick shake of her massive head, Rosaria extinguished the fire eating away at her. Jettisoning the damaged petal, Rosaria grew a new one in its place and turned to face the six students. "So, you think that this is just a game?" she said, her six lips forming a weird parody of a smile. "Prepare to reap the whirlwind!"

Suddenly, her petals began to detach from her head and then whirl around it, glowing a bright red. Air rushed pass the students as it combined into a ball of barely contained force in the center of Rosaria's opening maw. As Rosaria continued to draw in more power, all of the eye-like plants swiveled to look at Amaito, Tatsu, Mikoto, Cleon, and Yumeji.

"I don't like the look of this," Amaito said apprehensively, backing away. "She could be taking that last phrase very literally."

"Curse you, writer!" Tatsu yelled, shaking a fist at the sky.

"Damn it, I can't use my powers!" Mikoto growled.

Without hesitation, Yumeji notched and fired an arrow at Rosaria's thick stalk, hoping to interrupt her. Unfortunately, a thick root shot out of the ground, intercepting the arrow. One could imagine the feeling of Yumeji's frustration matching that of Rosaria's glee at finally getting the upper hand on the heathens.

"PREPARE TO DIE HORRIBLY, HEATHENS!" Rosaria roared, moving her head back as if getting ready to unleash hell.

Just as she was about to strike, a flash of red near her was picked up by the winds and shoved into her cavernous mouth. Immediately, the ball of air disintegrated into a powerful blast of air that kicked up great clouds of dust. Choking on the dust, Tatsu, Amaito, Mikoto, and Yumeji became confused by the choking sounds coming from Rosaria. On the walls of the area, the eyeballs of the strange plants looked wildly in many directions, dark green veins throbbing on the light green surfaces.

Edging closer to Rosaria and hidden by the low visibility of the dust cloud, while her roots flailed wildly nearby, the four students followed the choking sounds until they were close enough to see. They were stunning by what they saw.

Gasping for air, her twin leaves grabbing the stem that is her neck, Rosaria choked and gagged. Her head was turning a shade of blue-green. A large root shot out of the ground behind her and proceeded to whack her back, attempting to dislodge the stuck object. What was even more weird was the unmistakable voice that came from the 'object' in question.

"Mwuahahahaha, it seems that you had just bitten off more than what you can chew! Your choking on me is quite understandably, by the way. Besides, my awesomeness is too hard to swallow!"

It was Tensei.

"Damn it, writer, you have gone and chose the one whose sheer dumb luck can turn the tables!" Tatsu grumbled, half annoyed but half relieved.

"And I'd be damned if we don't use this opportunity now," Yumeji said, lighting up an arrow and notching it. _"Attack now!"_

Immediately, the four students charged. Stopping about twenty four yards away from Rosaria, Yumeji fired the arrow while Amaito sprayed the plant killer when he got within range. As Tatsu closed in, an aluminum bat in one hand and a can of plant killer in the other, Mikoto went over to Rosaria's right and began attacking the roots there in hopes of distracting the rogue magician. Rosaria's choking gasps were soon joined by wheezes of agony when the flaming arrow implanted itself in the side of her head. Spraying, Amaito trailed the chemical over a considerable portion of Rosaria's writhing body before stopping at the growing fire. The flames ignited the chemical and raced along the combustible trail, drawing a fiery line over Rosaria's body that burned with the ferocity of a Portuguese man-o war's tentacles.

This was the last straw.

Wheezing in agony and fury, Rosaria swept the large root behind her in a wide 180 degree arc and, before the four students knew what has happened, they were knocked away. Mikoto, Tatsu, Amaito, and Yumeji screamed as they flew back in different directions, landing on the ground in several jaw-clenching thuds. The force of the wheezes also has the effect of ejecting Tensei out of her 'trachea' and a bloodcurdling scream of sheer agony drowned out the distant sounds of chaos.

"**UWAAAAUUUGHAHAHAHA... AAAAUUUUUUUGHAHAHAHA!" **

Flailing around, Rosaria settled down only for a moment to detach four thorns from her stem. These thorns, which were of length of a man's arm, grew roots from their wider ends and spread out from each other, using the roots as legs. Upon finding a desired spot, each thorn implanted itself into the ground as blue veins popped up on the surfaces. Seconds later, a bluish-green bud grew from the wider end of the thorns, pulsing green light. Seconds later, the buds opened and strange monsters resembling a cross between a praying mantis and a pitcher plant stepped out. They were taller than the mandrakes, standing about seven feet tall.

Two of the four monsters turned and spewed streams of water from their mouths, dousing Rosaria in the clear fluid as well as putting out the fire.

Breathing rapidly due to recently choking on Tensei, as well as from pain, Rosaria then became withdrawn, hurting too much to even yell. "My children...," she achingly said to her creations, which swiveled their heads toward her. Even the buds on the thorns swayed their petals in her direction. "I am going to heal myself so keep them busy. Show them no mercy. Kill them all!"

Nodding, the mantises scurried several meters closer to the students, angry hisses slipping through their razor sharp mandibles. The buds closed for a few minutes before reopening, each of them bringing forth three mandrakes into the world. Behind them, Rosaria chanted before spewing out of her mouth a cloud of green spores, which enveloped her in a large canopy. As seconds passed by, the canopy became darker as it thickened and hardened into a huge shell that resembled that of a walnut but can resist the impact of a tank shell.

Literally, this is going to be a really tough nut to crack.

Watching the entire scene, Yumeji, Mikoto, Amaito, and Tatsu became disheartened, realizing that the tables have been turned against them. However, Tensei was gleeful, dancing around as he held up his broomstick and nunchuks, which he'd found inside the serpentine monster's corpse. His slingshot was in his pocket. When he was knocked into the body by the root a while back, he'd hit it with so much force that he broke through the skin and became lodged in the flesh. Using an army knife he'd found on the ground, he then try to cut himself out when he came upon his weapons. Once he finally broke free, he was sucked into Rosaria's mouth by the strong winds.

"How the hell are we going to defeat her?!" Amaito groaned loudly. "We're heavily outnumbered!"

"I swear that the writer is really enjoying our misery!" Tatsu growled, pointing at the monsters. The mantises and mandrakes were closing in slowly. "First, he forces us to fight an unbeatable foe. Now, I bet that he will have us die humorously. When I find out who he really is, I'll..."

Mikoto turned to Tatsu, confusion written on her face. "Writer?" she asked incredulously. She then turned to Yumeji. "What's with Tatsu talking about a writer?"

Yumeji shrugged, his eyes staying on the monsters. He put up his bow and wielded his wooden katana. "It's a long story," he finally said.

"Woo-hoo!" Tensei hooted, causing the others to turn their heads toward him. Even most of the monsters looked in his direction. Tensei then grinned wildly, twirling his weapons as he stared down the monsters. "Let the fight begin! One of the things on my wishlist includes kicking a lot of ass before the beginning of summer. Today's my lucky day!"

Blinking, Mikoto couldn't help but to smile. "Nothing dampens Tensei's spirit, right?" she asked, turning to Tatsu.

Pulling down his bandanna to breath in the warm, moist air, Tatsu blew through closed lips, making a _*pftt*._ "Too bad nothing increases his common sense, either," he said flatly.

''''''''''''''''

Waking up, Cleon coughed and sneezed on the dusty ground. Spitting out a mouthful of mud, he gingerly got back up, holding his right side. Though nothing was broken, as far as he could tell, there was a dull pain from where he'd landed on the concrete. Readjusting his eyepiece, he looked to where Shinataki and the Gekota leader laid. Both men were stirring, though he didn't expect them to get up anytime soon. Of course, he didn't expect Shinataki to become a problem earlier. Searching for some wires, he found some and went over to Shinataki. Turning the large thug over as carefully as possible without waking him up, Cleon squatted beside him and tied his hands and feet together, remembering the lessons from his father about tying sailor knots. Finished, he looked over to the Gekota leader, debating on whether he should tie him up as well. After much internal debate, he decided not to tie him up. Hopefully, he won't regret it.

Renewed sounds of battle grabbed his attention and Cleon turned just in time to see the others attack what appears to be a new group of monsters, four of them resembling praying mantises with pitcher plants attached to their backs. He was just about to join them when he thought about the machine. Glancing back at the product of his curiosity and foolishness, Cleon remembered the time he'd spent with the thugs, building and, until recently, using this machine. He found it strange that he is remembering all of it at a time such as this when his friends were fighting, though he couldn't help it. He then remembered the parts that the machine consisted of, including but not limited to the lasers, the crystal, the batteries and the mirrors and lens.

These were the parts that were needed to build such an effective weapon.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and Cleon immediately went to work. Running over to the anti-ritual/ability machine, he quickly removed the outer covering and disconnected the wiring and components, a blueprint of what he wanted to build forming in his head. A feeling of irony flooded him as he remembered his vow to destroy this machine rather than to use its parts to build a weapon. Having no tools to solder the pieces together, Cleon decided to tie them together with wires, as well as to twist the wires' ends together to complete the circuit. He paused only to pick up a nearby wooden bat to use as the weapon's body. He knew that the weapon would be very dangerous to use but it was better than nothing all.

"Some weekend this is," he muttered to himself.

'''''''''''''''''''''''

Diverolling a mantis' charge, Yumeji spun on a heel and brought the brunt edge of his weapon onto the joint of one of its arms, bending it at an unnatural angle. Screeching on pain, the mantis retaliated by slashing with the other arm. Yumeji jumped back, hissing when the attack cut through his shirt and drew a long superficial cut down his abdomen. The coppery scent of his own blood; however, made Yumeji more aggressive and he leaped forward, thrusting his wooden katana at his opponent. The mantis screamed louder when the weapon pierced the tough, fibrous covering of its torso and penetrated the pitcher plant attached to its back. Water and plant juices gusted out of the wound, flooding Yumeji.

Gasping, Yumeji unleashed a vicious uppercut that pushed the creature away from him and squeezed water out of his long hair with a free hand. He was about to continue the assault when the dying mantis leaped out at him. The attack happened so fast that he didn't even have time to swing his katana. Yumeji grunted when the heavy body of the large creature slammed into him, knocking his weapon out of his hand. Pinned to the ground, Yumeji began screaming when the mantis repeatedly bit him in the head and arms, drawing blood with each bite. A punch to the head only made the mantis more furious and Yumeji found his head jerked back as the mantis grabbed him by his hair, leaving his throat exposed.

Just as Yumeji was about to get his throat ripped out, the mantis was kicked off of him. Stunned by the sudden attack, the monster didn't see the red-haired enemy fly out at it, neither did it register the smirk on the boy's face when its head was suddenly detached from its neck by the wooden katana he wielded.

Helping Yumeji back up, Tensei wiped a smear of blood off a cut on his face with a finger and rubbed it onto his pants. He then handed the wooden katana back to Yumeji. "Keep your weapon close by if you want to live," he said to him, grinning. "Unless you're like me, in which case your awesomeness is a weapon in of itself."

Yumeji grunted, glancing toward the others. Mikoto, Tatsu, and surprisingly Amaito were barely holding their own against the mandrakes and mantises. "Trust me," he finally said, turning back to Tensei. "If I was every bit as awesome as you, I'd be criminally insane _hours_ ago-oops, too late."

Tensei rolled his eyes. "Oh, haha, that is sooo funny I forgot how to laugh."

Yumeji was just beginning to wipe water off of his mouth with an arm when he remembered the strange oil Rosaria sprayed onto him and Mikoto. Strangely; though, he didn't taste the supposed bitterness of the substance, as he tasted only water instead. "Well, that was unexpected. Was she lying?"

Before Tensei could respond, a flash of blue light caused him and Yumeji to glance in its direction. Seconds later, both boys dove out of the way to dodge several balls of bluish energy zooming at them. Coughing on dust, Yumeji turned his head and narrowed his eyes. Newly created by the buds and now approaching them were no less than four mandrake mages, each sporting a scowl that reminded him of his grandfather. The difference; however, is that his grandfather isn't trying to kill him at the moment.

"I hate magicians!" Tensei whined, getting up. "They never play fair!"

"I know," Standing up, Yumeji faced down the new foes, which were raising their hands in front of them. Balls of unstable energy were beginning to form between their palms. As Tensei watched, Yumeji held his hands to the sides and waited, a derisive grin on his face which, coupled with blood flowing from the bite marks on his face, made him look murderous.

"What the hell are you planning to do, Yumeji-san?!" Tensei ironically questioned. It is strange that he, the self proclaimed 'Tiger of Nagatenjōki' , would object to Yumeji's standing up to four mandrake mages, considering that he himself wanted to become a giant serpentine monster's snack a few hours ago just to unleash horrific internal injuries on the creature.

"I have an idea," Yumeji said as the enemies' attacks powered up even further. "Go and help out the others. I'll take care of these bastards."

Had Tensei been Tatsu, he would've strongly objected, adding that Rosaria has nullified his abilities. Instead, Tensei grinned knowingly. "If you seek to match my awesomeness, be my guest," he said before running off to join the others.

As the mandrake mages raised their hands, each cradling a ball of energy, Yumeji took several slow and deep breaths, focusing. Being a kendo instructor, his father taught him the importance of remaining calm and focused when under pressure. According to him, each obstacle is actually a test of wits and patience, something to be overcome by strategy and perfect timing rather than mindless brute force. Also, it is very important to stay calm and as unfazed as possible to avoid panicking like a headless chicken.

It was for this reason that Yumeji didn't even blink when the four mandrake mages unleashed beams of bluish energy at the same time.

Yumeji's smile didn't waver when the four beams streaked toward him at a rate of twenty meters per second. While the others were shouting, Yumeji's smile deepened when he caught a glimpse of the mandrake mages' faces. They wore smug expressions, believing that the lone human in front of them has no chance of stopping their coordinated attack. Unfortunately for them, Yumeji has a habit of proving enemies just like them wrong.

When the beams got close enough, Yumeji brought his hands together in a thunderous clap. All of a sudden, a powerful shockwave erupted from the clap and collided with the beams, pushing them back. Unprepared for the sudden reversal, the mandrake mages quickly begin to throw up shields of bluish energy just as the compressed energy was thrown back at them. One of them; however, was too slow and was blown to pieces by the energy, only to be scattered everywhere by the shockwave. Seconds later, the shockwave slammed into two of the buds, ripping their petals off.

All over the area, Rosaria's eye-plants throbbed, their veins swelling, and a gurgled growl came from within the huge shell behind the monsters.

"Woo-hoo, Yumeji-san's got his power back!" Amaito cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

"Finally!" Tatsu grumbled as he sprayed plant killer into a mandrake's face. The creature wheezed as it breathed in the stuff, eventually shriveling up a few seconds later. "Now we can stop relying on Tensei-san!"

"Hey, what's wrong with my technique?!" he asked, miffed at Tatsu. At his feet laid the mangled bodies of several mandrakes and two of the mantises. "Besides, I was doing all of the dirty work!"

"Yes, but you don't have to be so 'action hero' about it! It's not like we're in a sci-fi/fantasy/action/romance manga!" Little did Tatsu know of the sheer irony of his remark.

"Hah, you're mad because you can't touch my level!"

"I _am_ at your level, you idiot! We're both Level 0's!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Can't you guys argue at a better time?" Mikoto grunted, bashing a mandrake's head in. Green blood and sickly yellow brains sprayed onto her clothes. This only fueled her rage and, with a howl, Mikoto whirled around and smashed through three mandrakes in one swing, scattering their pieces everywhere. On a roll, Mikoto smashed a sideway kick into the face of the last mandrake, obliterating it. Even without her electrifying abilities, Mikoto Misaka is a formidable opponent.

Her face red with disgust and fury, Mikoto turned to face the remaining mantis, who was circling her, looking for an opening. Earlier, Mikoto found this opponent to be more nimble and intelligent than the mandrakes, even striking quickly and withdrawing before she could retaliate. Now that its comrades are dead, this mantis is more cautious and wary, realizing that one wrong move will mean its demise.

As it continued to circle her, the mantis begins to formulate a plan. As Mikoto crept closer, her bat held as to strike the mantis when it charges upon her, the mantis attacked. Ducking under the swing, its larger frame deceptively nimble, the mantis swinged the brunt edge of its arms under Mikoto, tripping her. A whack from the flat side of its other arm knocked her into the air. Opening the lid of its pitcher plant, the mantis leaped forward and, with no warning, scooped the unfortunate Tokiwadai ace up into the fibrous container. Shortly after, the plant rocked side to side as Mikoto struggled in the rising water inside, desperately trying to escape.

If it has the ability to feel satisfaction, the mantis would've warped its mandibles into the parody of a smile, if it could even do that.

Tatsu, Tensei, and Amaito tensed when the mantis walked toward them, its arms held open in a razor sharp parody of a hug. Growling, Tensei placed himself in front of the two, readying his nunchuks, while Amaito and Tatsu aimed their spray cans at the monster. Behind them, Yumeji was fighting the mandrake mages, their magic ineffective against his blasts of sound. He was oblivious to what was going on.

Stopping about five meters away, the mantis crouched and gave a loud challenging hiss, its sharp mandibles waving furiously. On its back, the pitcher plant stopped shaking as Mikoto finally stopped squirming. Tears forming in his eyes, Tatsu walked forward, stepping beside Tensei as Amaito does the same.

"Your kind has taken too many lives today, including one just now," Tatsu growled, squeezing the nozzle of the can slightly. "I'd die before I let you take any more."

With a wild squeal, the mantis raised its forearms as if to attack. Before it could do so; however, a bright flash of light shone from inside its pitcher plant. Before anyone could register the sudden change, the light shone brighter in an instant like a huge flashbang, causing the others to cover their eyes. In fact, the mantis was disintegrated by the blast, its pieces being vaporized by bolts of electricity that permeated the area. The eye-plants on the sides of the buildings spontaneously exploded like so much popcorn as the bolt struck them. Of course, the popcorn fanatic Tatsu would've been dancing for sheer joy at the comparison if he wasn't trying to keep his eyes from being burnt off. Even Yumeji and the last mandrake mages were bracing themselves for the sudden assault on their senses.

When everything finally settled down, Amaito, Tatsu, and Tensei uncovered their eyes to see a reinvigorated and smirking Mikoto standing before them, electricity arching over her body. The small group was surrounded by a cloud of steam, as Mikoto has flash boiled the water inside the pitcher plant. The explosion of steam has sailed over Tensei, Amaito and Tatsu, though, so that they only experienced the blinding flash of light, as well as a little bit of heat. Mikoto was fine too, as the water have boiled away and expanded so fast that it felt more like a steamy hot bath rather than a scalding cauldron.

"The Ace is back," she announced, grinning.

"What the hell kind of lame catchphrase is-, " Tensei was about to say. His hair was sticking out in all directions, electricity coursing among the strands.

"Good to have you back, Mikoto-san!" Tatsu said, interrupting Tensei. "Now let's go kick Rosaria's butt!"

"I wish that I was that powerful," Amaito muttered gloomily. "My abilities really suck."

With a sympathetic smile, Mikoto went over to Amaito and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Amaito-san," she finally said. "I was once a Level 1 who'd believed that I was weak, even considering myself useless. However, instead of pitying myself, I worked hard day and night, pushing myself to my limits and beyond. Whatever tests the administrators sent my way, I hammered and hammered my way through them all until I finally overcame them. I am the Level 5 I am today because I'd never given up when others did."

"But that takes too long! If only there was a faster way to become stronger."

"If there was a faster way, it would either be worthless or downright dangerous."

Amaito sighed, clearly not convinced. "Okay, whatever..."

As Yumeji finished off the mandrake mage, the two intact buds swelled up to four times their size as the other two buds grew new petals. The buds pulsated as they begin concocting new monsters. A growl that reminded the Newbies and Mikoto of the serpentine monsters echoed from within one of the buds. By the rate that the monsters were being formed, Mikoto knew that she won't be able to stop the buds in time. She had already tried to fry one of the buds, only to realize that they were covered in a rubber-like resin that absorbed her electricity.

As shocked as she was about the revelation, Mikoto was even more surprised by what happened next.

One moment, the two buds were producing some monsters, with the newly formed petals of the other buds blasted by Yumeji's shockwave beginning to close. The next moment, iron stakes appeared out of thin air, pinning the petals of the buds shut. The other two buds, however, had their petals pinned to the ground by the stakes before they could close, leaving their vulnerable interiors exposed.

"The cavalry has arrived!" sang a familiar voice above her. Looking up, Mikoto was confronted by a sudden hug and a faceful of uniform top. Unable to breath, Mikoto concentrated and unleashed powerful bolts of electricity, electrocuting the person before blasting her off of her. Hitting the ground with a thud, the girl was practically drooling, her auburn hair standing on ends. However, one would be correct if he compared the girl's expression to that of Tensei in the presence of Aiho Yomikawa.

"Damn it, Kuroko!" Mikoto growled, dusting herself off. "Will you stop doing that?!"

"I can't help myself, Onee-sama!" Kipping up, Kuroko was overjoyed, on the verge of tears. "I didn't know what happened to you! I mean, chaos was everywhere and you were nowhere to be found. Only when I saw a bright flash of light coming from this way when I realized that you were actually here."

Despite her frustration, Mikoto couldn't help but to feel a tinge of shame. "I sorry, Kuroko," she finally said, giving her a small smile. "Thanks for coming."

Her eyes sparking, Kuroko was about to pounce on Mikoto again when the latter gave her a stern look. "However, don't even think about it."

"There you go with the sweet talk, Onee-," Kuroko froze when she saw the four boys looking at her. Kuroko's eyes narrowed dangerously, making the expression that only a jealous roommate could make. "Onee-sama, who are these guys? You're not trying to do a fivesome behind my back, are you?"

"Shut up, Kuroko!" Mikoto snapped, her face reddening at the audacity of her question. "We're fighting together, idiot!"

"That's right," Tensei added, puffing out his chest, smirking. "Besides, Mikoto-san's not my type."

In the blink of an eye, Kuroko teleported to within a foot of Tensei's personal space, a vein throbbing on her forehead. Despite being around Cleon's height, she was much more intimidating. Even Tensei began to waver slightly. "What's wrong with Onee-sama, Disrespectful Boy-san, she's not woman enough for you?"

Tensei shrugged. "Nah, I'm into older women. You can have her."

Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "You sicken me."

"You sound funny," Tensei countered.

"Okay guys, enough," Yumeji interrupted before the situation could get out of hand. "We have a magician to stop, remember?"

"Oh right," Mikoto said, building up bolts of electricity. Electricity arched in the air around her, illuminating the area. Just as Tensei was pushing his hair back to its original shape, a stray bolt of electricity caused it to puff outward, much to his annoyance. After a few minutes of preparation, Mikoto unleashed four powerful bolts at the buds. The two that were pinned open were obliterated while the other two were cooked by the sheer voltage of the attack. After several seconds, the buds fell apart, spilling boiling liquid onto the ground. The serpentine monster within each bud flopped lifelessly onto the ground, looking brighter in color than their predecessors.

"Steamed vegetables, anyone?" Tatsu quipped, causing the others to laugh. Even Kuroko has forgotten her beef with Tensei to chuckle.

Their laughs; however, were silenced when a loud, gurgling roar erupted from within the huge shell enveloping Rosaria. Digging in a pocket, Mikoto took out a game coin as roots erupted from the ground. She then flicked the coin into the air as the others trying to dodge the roots, her arm stretched toward the shell and her thumb poised to flick the coin toward the target, creating her famous signature move, the Railgun. Nearby, Kuroko teleported away to dodge a root that smashed Tensei in the face, knocking him onto the ground.

"Hey, not cool!" he yelled at her.

As the coin fell toward her thumb, Mikoto narrowed her eyes as a vine bursted from the top of the shell, dislodging a piece that nearly fell on Tatsu. Screaming something about 'stupid writer', Tatsu was then grabbed by several vines and pinned to the ground. As the coin fell closer and closer toward striking distance, time seemed to slow down as more vines broke out of the shell. A monstrous petal emerged from the growing hole.

"Time to die!" she muttered as the coin fell within striking distance.

Unfortunately, at that precise moment, a root shot out of the ground right beside her, catching her unawares as it has appeared too suddenly for her AIM field to pick up, slamming into her. Yelping, Mikoto was then knocked into someone, who coughed at the impact and quickly grabbed her, keeping her from landing on the ground.

"Are you alright?" It was Yumeji. He too was weary and battered.

"I'm fine but my chance is ruined," Mikoto said bitterly, looking up at the shell. "I was so close-"

Suddenly, nighttime turned into day as a loud whir came from behind them. Before Yumeji and Mikoto could turn to look, a beam of dark purple light flew overhead, heating up the air around it. It slammed into the shell, cutting through the fibrous, shock-resistant and steel-hard material as effortless as a red hot knife through butter. Apparently, the beam has flash-boiled the fluid inside because the entire shell exploded in a spray of fragments and steam. Everyone screamed as they were knocked back several meters, beaten and bruised. Even Kuroko didn't escape in time. Fortunately; however, no one were very close to the explosion and the fragments were thrown in a safe direction. Otherwise, they would've either been hit by the fragments or scalded to death by the liquid.

Groaning but able to stand, Mikoto stood up and looked around, peering through the dissipating fog that smelled of steamed coconut milk. She could recognize the others getting up, checking for any broken bones or mortal wounds but finding none. Kuroko too was fine, though she was miffed at her uniform being torn further. When Tensei pointed out that she has nothing to show anyway, it took all of Tatsu's effort to keep Kuroko from teleporting a stake into his head which, in his opinion, contains nothing to harm, anyway. Consequentially, it took Amaito's every effort to keep Tensei from ripping off Tatsu's head.

Mikoto perked up when she heard the crackle of electricity from behind her. Turning to look, her eye narrowed at the shorter figure that was approaching her. Dark purple light shone from the tip of the weapon he was carried, the heat the thing gave off evaporated the surrounding mist. When the fog finally cleared, Mikoto was surprised by what she saw. The weapon that the person was carrying was strange, with a laser attached to a slightly charred wooden bat insulated with pieces of metal and wires leading from it to a purple crystal shard that were surrounded by tiny mirrors. The first series of mirrors seems to be positions in a way as to direct the energy to a second series of lens and mirrors at the end of the weapon, building up and releasing the energy at the pull of a makeshift trigger on a handle attaching to the bat. Two large batteries provided power for the weapon. However, what was even strange was the confident smirk on the person's face.

"Someone called for the big guns?" Cleon finally said, holding the weapon like a RPG launcher and pointing it away from Mikoto's face. Electricity crackled over its surface. Sweat was flowing down his face due to the heat the weapon gave off. "I don't know about you but I'm ready to crank up the heat!"

'''''''''''

**6 miles from destination and en route**

**10:26 pm**

The convoy flew down the mostly abandoned street, overturning stray vehicles and plowing through any hostile being that walked into its path. Consisting of five Anti-Skill APCs, two black armored cars, and a white, unmarked van, this convoy continued to follow the coordinates showing the last location of the drone. In the distance, the occasional explosion shattered the otherwise prevalent silence, aside from the humming of engines.

In the back seat of the white van, the woman yawned as her fingers drummed the steel suitcase she was carrying. Next to her were the older researcher and another, slightly younger man from another research facility. Since he'd helped developed the anti-ritual/ability machine, albeit without his employer's knowledge, the woman had brought him along, knowing that his help in salvaging and modifying the machine would be invaluable.

"I have to agree with this young woman," he was saying to the older man. "The crystal should be fortified with quartz and more carbon next time. Otherwise, the continuous exposure to the laser will cause it to shatter."

"I understand that but if we do that, the laser won't react to the crystal fast enough to produce the nullifying light. It will result in a slower rate of fire."

"Yes, but the effects could increase exponentially."

"It doesn't matter now," the woman interrupted, turning to the younger man. "Dr. Hisako, you were once an audiologist and a neurologist, right? Certainly, you can convert the frequencies into sound waves that can achieve the same results as the light"

Dr. Hisako straightened his glasses. "Well," he was beginning to say. "I know how to but there are at least two problems..."

"Enlighten me."

"The first problem is the time. Though such an undertaking should take no more than seven months, However, I have my other work cut out for me so I could only be finished in almost a year."

"We have plenty of time, Dr. Hisako," the woman assured. "Now, what is the second problem?"

"The second problem involves my job. My employer suspects that I am secretly working for your company, one of his major competitors. If he finds out, I will lose my job."

The woman raised an eyebrow. "So what?" she queried. "You can always work for me. Beside, the benefits and pay is nothing to sneeze at and you will be much happier. By doing this favor for me, you are helping yourself."

Dr. Hisako looked downcast. "But I love working for Barashinko Pharmaceuticals."

Smiling, the woman placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. "You are overstretched and beyond your limits, Dr. Hisako. You are too young to wrinkle your handsome face with worry. You see, the solution is to commit yourself fully to one company. I'll leave it up to you to decide which one is worth your while.

Witnessing the scene, the older man sighed drearily, envious of the other man's youth and the attention he was getting from the woman. "I wish that she could say the same thing to me," he muttered to himself.

The woman turned to him. "You'd said something?" she asked.

The man jumped, stammering, "I-I was s-saying that b-b-being with our c-company is the r-right place to be."

Dr. Hisako yawned. "Well, _*ngh*,_ I hope you're right. Barashinko's retirement pension is amazing."

The woman's smirk turned into a grin. "Why cherish memories of your employment with Barashinko after retirement when you can truly enjoy working for us while you work?"

Dr. Hisako thought for a minute. Finally, he conceded. "I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" the woman cheered as the convoy rounding a corner. "You're just in time, Dr. Hisako. We're about to work on something big, something that could very well change Academy City forever. You won't regret it, I promise."

'''''''''''''

**Rosaria's Hideout**

**5 minutes later...**

"Whoa, that was so amazing!" Tensei gasped, his eyes fixed on Cleon's weapon like those of a child gazing at a huge cake. "Let do that again!"

"I think that it could only melt through concrete and stuff," Tatsu corrected him, rolling his eyes. Despite being beaten up, he was smiling for the first time in hours. He then began to wonder whether the weapon could be used to make popcorn at an accelerated rate

"Yes, this weapon reminds me of what-her-face's ability," Amaito added

"You mean Meltdowner?" Yumeji asked him.

"Yeah."

"Who's that?" Cleon wondered

"She is one of Academy City's top five Level 5s," Mikoto explained. "She's at Rank 4, right below me. Other than that, I don't know much about her, neither have I ever hanged out with her."

"She's a secretive and, some even say, a very rude girl," Kuroko added, pouting. "Glad that she's not a Tokiwadai student. Wouldn't want a _second_ snob trying to run the whole school.

"Who's the first-," Mikoto was about to ask when she looked into Kuroko's eyes, getting her meaning. "Oh, you meant _her_."

"Um guys, we still have a problem," Amaito said apprehensively, pointing to a large shape emerging from the remnants of the destroyed shell. A low growl of rage and agony filled the air as the steam began to clear. Vines erupted out of the ground, flailing around for anyone unlucky enough to be within range. Immediately, everyone got in a combat stance as Cleon aimed his weapon at the entity.

Suddenly, a powerful earsplitting scream shattered the relative quiet like glass. Windows that weren't already broken by the initial battle disintegrated into sprays of glass shards and wood splinters. Before anyone could cover his or her ears, a powerful concussion wave knocked them off of their feet, sending them flying back. Even Yumeji, who can control sound waves, was surprised by the suddenly assault.

Cleon grunted when he hit the ground, earning him a nasty bump on his back and a burn on his shirt as he shielded the delicate and unstable weapon with his own body. Nearby, Amaito and the other groaned as they feebly picked themselves off the ground.

"I swear that if I get knocked onto my ass one more time, I'll go crazy," Tatsu grumbled, rubbing a new bruise forming on his lower back.

"Oh wow, that was fun. Let's go that again," Tensei said sarcastically, shaking off miniature versions of Sogiita Gunha cartwheeling around his head, his eyes a pair of swirling spirals and drool dripping out of his mouth.

"You're actually enjoying this?!" Kuroko asked incredulously, obviously lost by the sarcasm. "You are one weird boy."

"You are one weird girl, sounding like an old woman. Next, you'll be asking me where you put your dentures."

Suddenly, Kuroko teleported off the ground, reappearing in front of Tensei. She was just beginning to unleash a vicious kick, only for Mikoto to shoot a bolt of lightning past her head, causing her and Tensei to jump in fright.

"Can't you two focus your attention on Rosaria and not on each other?!" Mikoto growled, an eyebrow twitching.

"Oh right, Onee-sama!" Kuroko complied, blushing. Onee-sama looks cute when she's upset, even more so when she's furious.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tensei grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Good, now let's-WHOA!" Mikoto gasped as she barely dodged a thick vine shooting out of the ground. Seconds later, more vines shot out of the ground. As the others dodged the attacks, Tensei and Tatsu unfortunately weren't fast enough and were subsequently knocked into the air. Minutes later, a vine flew up and slammed into Tatsu's groin with teeth-gnashing force, sending him in a mid-air roll

"S-s-stupid... w-writer," Tatsu grunted in a high-pitched voice, holding himself. "Low blow... u-utterly f-f-f-fatal."

"I want to fly but not like thiiiiiiiiiiiis!" Tensei yelled as he fell back to earth. He grunted when he slammed into someone, knocking the person back. Bouncing off the person, Tensei miraculously landed on his feet. Tatsu; however, was less fortunate: he landed into a trash heap, burying himself into the pile of filth He later exclaimed something incoherent, though someone with a keen hearing could make out his disgust.

"Stupid writer, this dirty diaper is inches from my face! It really stinks!"

Rubbing his eyes, Tensei was about to boast about how cool he is for making such a landing when someone gave him a forceful shove. Gasping in surprise, Tensei stumbled backward to avoid falling onto his ass. Looking up, he was about to yell at the rude person when he saw his face.

"Hey, watch who you land into, idiot!" Shinataki growled, pausing when he got a good look at the smaller person. Slowing, his annoyance bubbled into sheer rage. His dark brown eyes bulged out of his eye sockets, red veins popping all over the surface. As his growing frown turned murderous, Shinataki's lips curled back into a feral snarl that would've even given the Tokiwadai dorm supervisor pause when facing such a furious foe. What flowed through those powerful teeth was the accumulation of sheer hatred at everything the red-haired boy put him through, starting with the utterly foolish thing he'd done to him earlier.

"YOU!"

Blinking, Tensei backed away slowly, recognizing the man as the thug who suffered a blow to his groin earlier, courtesy of Tensei. Gulping down in fear, he held his hands up in defense, realizing that such a man is dangerous than even the Tokiwadai supervisor, at least to him.

"Now I understand that you're pissed at that little stunt I've pulled on you earlier and that it was very inconsiderate of me," he chuckled nervously. "So, as a result, I would like to say that I'm really sorry, uh sir. Now that that's taken care of, let go kick Rosaria's-"

"YOUR ASS IS THE ONLY THING THAT I'M GONNA KICK, YOU LITTLE RUNT!" Shinataki bellowed, taking another step toward Tensei as he cracked his knuckles. There were long bruises around each of his wrists that were caused by his hands and feet being tied together by the wires, which the Gekota leader has cut off with his switchblade. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"Um, sir-sama or whatever your name is-"

"The name's Shinataki, you little runt, or do you want your statement to be your last words?!" Shinataki snarled, a bit calm but still furious.

"Right, Shinataki-sama, uh... As you can see, we're currently in a battle so it's not the time to cry over spilled milk, so...-"

"THE ONE WHO'S GONNA TO BE CRYING IS YOU!" Shinataki roared, charging at Tensei at a deceptively fast speed. Diverolled out of Shinataki's way to avoid being knocked senselessly, Tensei was about to take off running when Shinataki grabbed him by his shirt and flinged him effortlessly toward the trash pile. Tensei's high-pitched screams turned into a grunt when he landed on Tatsu, who was beginning to climb his way to freedom, stuffing him deeper into the filth.

"Stupid writer, why meeeeeeeeeee!?" he yelled out from underneath Tensei.

As Shinataki slowly closed in, Tensei frantically clawed through the trash, flinging various objects at the approaching thug. Shinataki either simply swatted them aside or dodged them without even a change in pace. If one Shinataki was this terrifying, not even Tensei's worst nightmares could fathom what an army of him could do to him.

Flinging a broken stroller with all his might, Tensei gasped when Shinataki simply slammed a fist through the device, smashing it into two pieces. Teary-eyed, Tensei squealed like a schoolgirl as Shinataki grabbed him by the scuff of his shirt and yanked him bodily into the air. Tensei watched in horror as Shinataki's free hand curled into a fierce-looking fist. If that can destroy a stroller with insulting ease, just think of what it can do to a fifteen year old's body.

"Please don't hurt me! I'm really, really sorry!" Tensei squealed.

"HAH, THAT SHALL BE YOUR LAST WORDS AND YOUR EPITHET!" Shinataki roared, bringing his fist back to unleash a series of bone-crushing and gut-pulverizing punches. "PREPARE TO DIEEEEEEEEE-*_Gulp_*!"

Shinataki was so busy ranting at a suspended Tensei that he'd never noticed Tatsu erupting from the trash pile, holding a white bundle of sorts. He was even more surprised when he shoved the bundle, which turned out to be a dirty diaper, in his gaping mouth, cutting him off mid-sentence. He'd even shoved it so forcefully into Shinataki's mouth that it became lodged in there. The shock of the assault caused Shinataki to let go of Tensei, dropping him onto Tatsu.

"Damn the writer and your luck, Tensei!" Tatsu growled, pushing Tensei off of him.

"I appreciate the soft landing," Tensei whimpered, still shaken by Shinataki's display of rage. Shinataki, on the other hand, was still in shock, his fingers trailing the surface of the diaper, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, whatever," Tatsu glanced at Shinataki, who was beginning to fume as the smell of stale baby urine reached his nose. Blue lines of disgust were forming on his forehead as veins swelled violently. "Let's get out of here before he goes berserk."

Apparently, Tatsu has spoken too late.

Immediately, Shinataki flew into a frothing rage as he struggled to dislodge the diaper stuck in his mouth. Yelling incoherently due to his mouth being full, Shinataki finally gave up and lunged at Tensei, attempting to grab him. Ducking under the grab, Tensei then diverolled a punch and grabbed Tatsu by the arm, dragging him with him toward the battle, with Shinataki pursuing the two.

"This doesn't make any sense!" Tatsu gasped, trying to keep up with Tensei's rapid steps. "You killed a lot of mandrakes in hand to hand combat and even enticed a huge monster to eat you, yet you are afraid of fighting a mere human?!"

"I can't hit people!" was all Tensei could say.

"What?!"

"I can't hit people!" Tensei repeated as they neared the battle. "Otherwise, I'll get in trouble. I-I'll explain later, okay!"

"You're really weird, you know that? You kicked me in the face earlier this afternoon, remember?"

Tatsu's question only made things worse. "Oh my god..."

Tatsu sighed. "What is it _now_?"

"Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god,*_Inhales_* Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god Oh my god,*_Inhales_* Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god Oh my god, Oh my god,*_Inhales*_ Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, *_Inhales_* Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my god, Oh my – "

"Enough with the repetitive mumble jumble!"

"Oh my god, I've violated my mom's express order! I am so dead!"

"Your mom isn't here!"

"Yes, but she has spies. They're _everywhere_."

Tatsu was about to say something but decided that it wasn't even worth it. Tensei tends to become paranoid when frightened. Instead, he decided to turn his focus toward the battle ahead. The others were busy dodging volleys of cactus pricks flinged by Rosaria. The nun-turned-plant monster looked much worse, considering that she was boiled alive when Cleon fired the beam directly through her protective shell. Several of her petals, tenderized by the immerse heat, have simply fell off of her head. Her leaves looked as if they could also fall off any minute. Even her stalk looked gummy and ached with every move. The only things that remained healthy were her vines and roots. However, her predicament only made her angrier.

Being the slowest of the five, Amaito's belly was bristling with pricks, though they didn't even slow him down at first. However, the poison that was seeping into his bloodstream through the hollow projectiles seemed to intensify his pain. One moment, he was spraying the plant killer at Rosaria, barely dodging the roots and vines and the next, he was keeling over, his pained grunts slowly turning into screams. Seeing the Nagatenjōki student go down, Kuroko teleported to his aid. Suddenly a root whacked her from behind, pushing her onto the pricks stuck to Amaito's abdomen. Amaito screamed louder when the pricks were pushed deeper into his skin. Stuck by the pricks, it was a matter of time before Kuroko too was screaming in pain, unable to teleport away to dodge an incoming vine. The blow lifted Kuroko off her feet and slammed her into a wall. The Tokiwadai student slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"KUROKO!" Mikoto yelled, becoming even more furious. Without hesitation, she launched a lightning bolt at Rosaria. Unfortunately, despite being tender, the stalk still retained some of its electricity-dampening properties and only suffered a light scorching.

"Use your Railgun, Mikoto!" Yumeji called out to her, wielding his wooden katana "Me and Cleon will distract her.

"Right!" Mikoto nodded as she took out a game token.

Nodding to Cleon, who nodded back, Yumeji unleashed a loud war cry, which he amplified using his ability, and charged. The war cry stunned Rosaria, rooting her in place with intense vibrations and essentially making her a sitting duck. As Yumeji closed in, Cleon took a firing stance and leveled the weapon upward, aiming at a spot on Rosaria's head. Just as Rosaria has regained control of her body, he opened fire.

The beam vaporized a sizable portion of Rosaria's head, as well as two of her six lips. Howling in agony, her vines trailing over the cauterized wound, Rosaria failed to see Yumeji as he ran the weapon through her stalk, barely dodging the thorns on the surface. In an agonized rage, Rosaria quickly leaned in the direction of Yumeji and, before he could respond, slammed a particular thick vine onto him, smashing him into the ground, as well as creating a Yumeji-shaped crater underneath him. To his credit, Yumeji didn't even make a sound.

Detecting a flash of light, Rosaria quickly swayed toward the ground, grunting in pain when the game token ripped off a chunk of her stalk as it zipped past her, flying faster than the speed of sound. It was nearly a fatal blow.

"Dammit!" Mikoto cursed, gritting her teeth. She was breathing hard. "That was my last coin, too!"

A second beam of purple light, fired by Cleon, burned its way through Rosaria's stalk, causing it to slump dangerously. Quickly fortifying the cauterized hole with several thick vines, Rosaria counter attacked by unleashing a hail of blue energy similar to those thrown by the mandrake mages. Swearing, Cleon scrambled to avoid the balls of sparks, only for a few of them to slam into him, knocking him to the ground. The weapon slid out of his grasp.

Withstanding a torrent of bolts from Mikoto, Rosaria retaliated with a mass of roots. Blowing most of them to pieces, the exhausted Tokiwadai ace was overwhelmed by the rest. To her credit, Mikoto stood her ground far longer than everyone else before being knocked back and then entrapped by the roots.

Turning back to Cleon, Rosaria raised four large vines, sneering inwardly. Cleon watched in horror when several horn-shaped growths formed on the tips of the vines. It didn't take him any longer to realize what Rosaria was planning to do.

"Isht's becaushe hov hou hat hou and hoar hrends nanaged to lia thish long againsh ne ('_It's because of you that you and your friends managed to live this long against me'_)!" she screeched, her words a bit slurred due to her two missing lips, which were slowly growing back. "Hush, ilsh he becaushe hov hou hat hou hill hie! Now shay oar hrayers ('_Thus, it'll be because of you that you will die! Now, say your prayers!'_)!"

Before Rosaria could attack; however, she was distracted by the arrival of Tensei and Tatsu below her. As Tatsu went over to Yumeji's still form, Tensei was swaddling Rosaria's stalk, a gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"Please, Shinataki-sama, don't hurt my mom too!" he was saying, pretending to be frightened. "She may be a monstrous rose but she's all I got!"

"Hit ahray hrom he, heathen (_'Get away from me, heathen!'_)!" Rosaria hissed, sweeping Tensei away with a vine. "I'd hrather hie han ho hother sush ah little haemon('_I'd rather die than to mother such a little demon!_')!"

Growling, Rosaria gulped when a shot of pain erupted from the base of her stalk. Looking toward the source, Rosaria gasped when she saw a monster of a man ripping through the gummy material with his bare hands, ripping it off like so much paper. His face was a mask of unspeakable fury and his words were nothing but growls and snarls, courtesy of a diaper lodged in his mouth. It was clear the Rosaria what the man was planning to do.

"Get off of me! Get off of me!" she squealed normally as her two damaged lips have been completely restored, attempting to swat the man away with vines and roots. Holding fast to her like a locust devouring a blade of glass, Shinataki only dug deeper into the green flesh, froth seeping through the corners of his mouth.

"Die pagan!" One of the horn-tipped vines pierced Shinataki in the shoulder. Though he was too furious to feel any pain, the smell of his own blood made Shinataki even more furious and he grabbed the vine just as Rosaria lifted it into the air. Timing his jump, Shinataki let out a muffled roar as he swinged straight _into_ Rosaria's gaping mouth. The sounds of punching and muffled yells and screams filled the air.

Feeling the vines and roots slacken, Mikoto pushed her way out of their grasp, freeing herself. Without hesitation, she ran over to Kuroko, who were groggily coming back to consciousness. Cradling her best friend in her arms, Mikoto pushed aside a handful of Kuroko's curls just as the teleporter's eyes opened.

"Am I in heaven?" she asked, practically drooling. "Oh, don't pinch me! I don't want this dream to end."

Mikoto pinched Kuroko in the arm, causing the latter to jump, a look of pained disappointment on her face.

"Wakie wakie," Mikoto muttered to Kuroko, smiling. "Glad that you're still in the land of the living."

"Yumeji-san, wake up man!" Tatsu plead, shaking Yumeji's furiously. Having carried him to a safe place, Tatsu was now trying to bring him back to consciousness. However, Yumeji gave no indication of stirring.

"Please...come to...," Tears were forming in Tatsu's eyes, a few of them dropping on Yumeji's face and rolling down his cheeks. He then closed his eyes, sobs escaping from his mouth. "I'm...I'm sorry for saying, 'Screw you' when we thought that Tensei-san was dead. "Please-*_hic_*, please come back to us...*_sniff_*."

"Apology accepted, though I was hoping that I was lying in the lap of a girl."

Opening his eyes, Tatsu was greeted by a smiling Yumeji, who began to stretch, yawning. Relief flooded Tatsu and he surprised Yumeji with a quick but tight hug. Yumeji paused for a minute before managing a shrug and patting Tatsu reassuringly on the back.

Letting go of Yumeji, Tatsu stood up and helped Yumeji up. "So," he asked him. "How are you feeling?"

Yumeji sighed, his body aching badly but still tolerable. "The next time I meet a vegetable," he finally said. "I'm going to make sure that it's smaller than me."

Tatsu shrugged. "Well, as least it's not trying to kill you."

"Yeah, that would be really embarrassing_. 'Yumeji, a Level 3 Phonomaster, killed and eaten by a carrot!'_ "

Both boys laughed as they ran toward the others.

Amaito was swearing profusely as Tensei and Cleon were gingerly plucking the barbed pricks off of his belly. Closest to the flailing, screaming form of Rosaria, Mikoto was nursing Kuroko's wounds, the latter's eyes sparkling at who she perceived to be her role model, best friend, and much more, much to Mikoto's chagrin. In fact, Kuroko's attempt to snuggle was quickly met with a burst of electricity that fried the teleporter, as well as caused her auburn hair to stand on end.

"Damn it, Kuroko!" Mikoto growled, sighing. "You have just been smashed into a brick wall, head first, and the first thing you want to do is to cuddle up with me!"

"But I _love_ you, Onee-sama!" Kuroko drooled. Glancing toward Rosaria, Kuroko was reminded of something. Her expression became a bit more serious. "Onee-sama, we must end this battle quickly. The longer we delay, the more people that'll get hurt or even killed."

"I know that, Kuroko."

"Plus," Kuroko continued, raising an index finger. "You still got to prepare for that trip to Russia for that demonstration."

Gasping, Mikoto couldn't believe that she'd forgotten about the trip. Apparently, Academy City's administrators are paying her big money to showcase her abilities to its partners as a testament to how far the City of Students has come in its research. Though more people would think nothing of this except for the money, Mikoto could help but to believe that there was more to this demonstration than show-and-tell. Whatever it is, she intends to find out.

"When will that be?" she asked her.

Kuroko rolled her eyes. "Perhaps chasing after that spiky haired ape like a starry-eyed puppy has dulled your brain cells-"

"It's nothing like that!" Mikoto angrily interrupted, blushing heavily. "He's an arrogant idiot who goes around thinking that he's better than me!"

Ignoring her roommate's outburst, Kuroko continued, "Anyway, you'll be leaving on the 1st of July, only a few months from now. You're the type who usually packs early so I suggest that we wrap this up."

Nodding in agreement, Mikoto glanced in the direction of the five boys, who were regrouping. Rosaria was still struggling to cough out the rampaging thug who was trapped in her mouth and was slowly losing. "Let's go meet up with them and defeat that loud bitch," she finally said, grinning.

Kuroko shared Mikoto's flesh-eating smile. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Onee-sama,"

Giggling, the two girls got up and ran toward the boys, confident looks on their faces.

"OW, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

Smirking, Tensei tossed aside the last of the pricks and helped Amaito to his feet. The latter's belly were dotted by tiny red pinpricks, some of them oozing blood. "There you go," he said. "You may stop crying like a baby now."

Sniffing back tears, a pissed Amaito grabbed Tensei by his shirt and brought him within a few inches of his face. "Try getting an assful of pricks that intensifies your pain and we'll see what you have to say!" he yelled in his face.

"Actually, heh heh, they were only stuck to your belly, not that I'm denying how much space they have there."

"Screw you and same freaking thing: they hurt like hell!"

"Well, as least they're not lethal," Cleon spoke, studying a prick he carefully held in his fingers. "Though a considerate amount of the pain originated from the barbs irritating the skin itself. Have the barbs been any longer, plucking the pricks out would've seriously torn the skin, causing massive pain and damage, perhaps even bleeding".

"Remind me to avoid every cactus I find like a plague," Amaito told Cleon, settling down as he let go of Tensei.

Cleon smirked. "I'll be sure to remind you when we're stranded in a desert with no water to drink."

"Who needs cactus water, anyway? I've heard that a person can last for a long time in a desert by drinking his urine."

Cleon gagged, blue lines of disgust forming on his forehead. "Remind me not to be stranded in a desert with you."

"Better to be stranded with me than with Tensei here. He may suggest that we lick the sweat off of each other's brow."

"Oh, come on now, Amaito-san!" Tensei countered, rolling his eyes. "With my uncanny luck and awesomeness, we could stay alive in a desert for a long time, no problem about that! Besides, we can take a sip of each other's blood, just as the Mongols have done to their horses in the past."

Before Amaito could reply, Tatsu and Yumeji arrived, with Mikoto and Kuroko not too far behind. Taking a deep breath, Tatsu let out a long sigh and looked disgustedly at Tensei and Amaito. "Now that you two guys are finished chatting about which body fluids can keep you alive in a desert if drunken," he was saying. "Let's finish this up so that we can go home and eat popcorn."

"You're _still_ obsessed with popcorn at a time like this?!" Amaito asked incredulously.

Ignoring Amaito, Tatsu turned to Cleon. "So, Cleon-san," he began to ask. "Do you know of any way to quickly defeat Rosaria?"

Cleon thought for a minute. "Well," he finally replied, stroking his chin with a finger. "I have this plan that involved setting fire to the explosive substance inside those cannon charges. However, it's extremely dangerous."

"Not if you manage to throw an intact charge at Rosaria and get the Railgun to ignite it with a lightning bolt when it is close to her head," Yumeji added just as Mikoto and Kuroko arrived. "Even if the charge doesn't kill her outright, it'll give us a small window of opportunity to-"

A flash of red light, which was followed by a loud roar, interrupted Yumeji. Turning toward the source, the seven students tensed at what they saw. Raising a trio of red vines into the sky, Rosaria's remaining petals glowed a bright red as a huge ball of red, unstable energy materialized within the confines of the strange vines. A few vines tossed to the side an unconscious and badly bloodied Shinataki as new vines and roots, each of them covered in thorns, waved furiously around Rosaria, daring anyone to approach. Minutes later, leaves that once made up the shapeshifting monsters that were terrorizing Academy City swarmed to the area, mingling with the ball of energy. A few of them formed into runic symbols that encircled Rosaria and the thorny growths like a protective barrier.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Rosaria screeched gleefully, waving the vines furiously. "TIME TO SWITCH TO PLAN B! IN A FEW MINUTES, THIS SPELL WILL CAUSE UNPRECENDENT DESTRUCTION TO ACADEMY CITY, HITTING IT WITH THE FORCE OF A SMALL NUCLEAR WEAPON! NOT EVEN THE GREGORIAN CHANT CAN MATCH THE SCALE OF SHEER ATROCITY! THOSE WHO SURVIVE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RESIST THE MIGHT OF THE CHURCH! BEFORE I SEND YOU ALL TO HELL, I WANT YOU TO SCREAM AS LOUD AS YOU CAN!"

"Like hell we would allow you to do that!" Mikoto growled, building up electricity. "You would have to do it over my dead body!"

"This ends now!" Tatsu yelled, getting into a combat stance. "You have gone too far!"

"If you think that you can stop me, you're welcome to try!" Rosaria challenged. Taking a deep breath, Rosaria begin to chant:

'_Life of the earth, gardener of mankind,'_

'_Listen to your pruning tool, who's now calling to you...'_

"We got to stop her from finishing the chant!" Yumeji shouted, notching an arrow. Setting the arrow head alight, he fired the arrow at Rosaria. Trailing a stream of smoke, the arrow was put out by the barrier, a handful of its leaves burned to cinders, and the arrow itself were knocked to the side by one of the thorny vines. Grunted in disappointment, Yumeji hurled a powerful ball of sound, only for it to splash harmlessly against the barrier.

"Let me try," Cleon offered, aiming the weapon at Rosaria. When he pulled the trigger, he noticed three undesirable things: first, the weapon didn't fire, second, there was a shattering sound as the purple crystal was shattered into a thousand pieces as the buildup of energy inside erupted and, third, Cleon was knocked back by the sudden concussion wave of heat that was so intense that his shirt and pants were reduced to ashes and his eyebrows were burnt off. Fortunately, no one was near him, as they weren't sure about the stability of the weapon. On hindsight, they were right all along.

'Give me the power to clip off the branches of the wicked, '

'And the blessing to purge their roots.'

"What the-what the hell happened!" Tatsu wondered aloud.

"Cleon-san, are you alright?" Amaito asked, deeply concerned but obviously trying not to chuckle despite the predicament.

Sitting upright, Cleon blushed heavily as he quickly tried to hide his white boxer briefs, especially since Mikoto and Kuroko are nearby. Both girls were looking away, blushing at seeing the half naked boy. "What an embarrassing way to fight a foe," he whined, on the verge of tears. "Remind me to be extra careful around lasers."

"Hah, hah, hah!" Tensei chuckled, oblivious to what was going on. "It seems that the barrier only negates elemental attacks and allows physical attacks to pass. Too bad it can't negate the element of Tensei!"

'Wicked are they, who give to the world their poisoned fruit,'

'Devious are they, who enticed the naïve with their sweet, tempting scent.'

The ball of energy were growing bigger by the second.

"Hey, Sogiita II, your hair's on fire," Tatsu snorted.

Looking up, Tensei's eyes bulged out of their sockets at the sight of the fire that was now consuming his hair. Started by a burning piece of fabric, the flames were spreading quickly toward his scalp.

"AAAAUUUUUGH, GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME!" Tensei screamed, running around and flailing his arms. "IT BURNS, IT'S CRAZY, MAN! IT'S TRYING TO EAT ME!"

"Stop, drop, and roll, idiot! Running around only speeds it up!"

'Therefore, give me the scythe of the reaper, '

'That I may cut down the wicked in a grand harvest, '

"If I wasn't in so much pain, I would've teleported on top of her and finished her off," Kuroko grumbled.

"I guess that it's up to me!" With a shout, Mikoto unleashed a powerful stream of electricity at Rosaria. The sheer amount of voltage lit up the area and, for a moment, Mikoto thought that she'd defeated Rosaria. However, her hopes were dashed when Rosaria remained standing.

'_When the stalks of the wicked have at last withered, may righteousness spring forth from the newly sanctified ground, '_

'_AS SURELY AS THE SUN FROM THE DARK, CRUEL VOID!'_

The unstable ball of red energy flashed once, signifying that it is ready to unleash hell.

"No..." Mikoto breathed, unable to believe what was happening. They have failed, no... _she_ has failed Academy City. She is the third highest ranking Level 5, the Ace of Tokiwadai, in fact, not that any of that mattered now. Believing that the end is near, Mikoto allowed herself time to remember all the great things she have done while living in this city: befriending Kuroko, however awkward it became, enjoying her school life, eating various foods, donating a lock of her hair to research so that people like Tatsu's now dead brother could live normally, even repeatedly dueling that spiky haired upstart countless times, which was honestly entertaining. Even in her dying moments, Mikoto will never regret anything.

Just as Mikoto was about to close her eyes, she was jerked back to her senses by a shout, "AS LONG AS I LIVE, _NO ONE_ WILL MESS WITH MY CITY!"

Turning her head, Mikoto's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at what she saw. Running at Rosaria at full tilt, a man who appeared to be in his early thirties was carrying what appeared to be a cannon charge. He was dressed in green and black and was wearing various bead necklaces and plastic rings depicting the smiling face of Gekota, of whom Mikoto is secretly a fan. Even the cap he was wearing and his shoes was decorated with the smiling frog's image. Hell, even his black hair has streaks of green strands. If she wasn't so dumbfounded by the man's appearance, Mikoto would be giddy over meeting such a strange fellow fan.

Standing up, Cleon's eyes widened at the sight of the leader of the Gekota Gang. Amaito, Tensei, and Tatsu saw the man approaching in stunned silence as Yumeji glanced at the charge in his hand. When he saw the man raise it behind his head, obviously about to throw it, Yumeji immediately knew what he was up to.

"Everyone take cover!" he yelled, hitting the deck. As the others begin to follow suit, the Gekota leader threw the charge as far as he can. Growling, Rosaria reached for the suspended explosive with a few vines, missing completely. The charge continued along its trajectory, flying toward the unstable mass of energy. In a desperate, last ditch effort, Rosaria flinged all of her vines at the explosive, save for the three vines maintaining the swirling mass overhead. For every miss, the charge flew closer to the energy mass, closing in at twenty feet. Fifteen feet. Ten feet. Five feet...

One of the vines caught the explosive in a crushing coil, breaking opening the casing and sending the contents spreading everywhere. Rosaria was in a mood of elation for a few seconds before she realized her mistake.

"Charbroiled roses, anyone?" the Gekota leader grumbled, being the last to take cover. "They smell better than fried carrots."

"NOOOO!- " was all Rosaria could say before the energy ignited the powder, creating a raging infernal that tore through the area like a fiery demon. Pieces of vines and petals flew everywhere as the area glowed with the brightness of a miniature sun. Soon enough, the fire were spreading through the alleys.

After a few minutes, the fire have dissipated, allowing the students and the single adult to get up, some of them coughing in the ash-filled air. Most of them have singed clothing. Cleon, on the other hand, loss all of his body hair, save for his head of curls for an unknown reason. Tensei; however, was remarkable unscathed, since Tatsu have made the mistake of lying on top of him, shielding his from the flames However, Tatsu too was reduced to his underpants. The kernels he kept in his pocket had been popped by the intense dry heat

Good thing that he'd ran out of firecrackers long ago. It was even more fortunate that the heat haven't reached the cans of plant killer he was carrying, though the grappling hook set he'd never got to use was reduced to a scorched pile of hooks half buried within the scorched remains of the rope.

"CURSE YOU, WRITER!" was all he could say before choking on the sooty air.

Rubbing his eyes, Cleon took off his eyepiece to clean it before replacing it. Looking to where Rosaria once stood, he was relieved to see that the monstrous rose she was controlling was nothing more than a smoking heap that reeked of burnt flowers.

Apparently, the Gekota leader has an impaired sense of smell.

"We did it!" Tensei shouted, slapping Cleon on his bare back, right when he'd first slapped him when he first met him. Cleon winced, tears forming in his eyes. That spot was starting to heal, too. "We defeated Rosemary and saved Academy City!"

Despite his pain, Cleon could've help but to smile "You're absolutely right, Tensei-san. Also, her name is Rosaria."

"Same thing, only that she got defeated by the Amazing Tensei Tiger and his squad, the Newbies!"

"With the help of Mikoto and Kuroko, you nitwit," Tatsu sighed, smiling. He was covering himself up with his trash lid. "Also, don't forget the strange Gekota fellow."

"Forget the Railgun!" Tensei sighed.

Cleon blinked in confusion. "Wait, weren't you glorifying her in class yesterday morning?"

Tensei shrugged. "Mr. Fujimake is a big fan of Mikoto! How could I face him if he knew that I can't stand the Railgun?!"

"What is he going to do, flunk you?" Tatsu asked him.

"Do you guys notice his appearance? He looks like the male version of the Tokiwadai dorm supervisor!"

"He's nicer than she is, so what."

"Yes, but he exudes that same fearsome aura, especially when angry."

Tatsu was about to say more when Amaito, Mikoto, Kuroko, and Yumeji gathered around them. Seconds later, the Gekota leader joined them, carrying a still unconscious Shinataki over his shoulder. Shinataki's mouth was now closed, as the leader has managed to dislodge the dirty diaper stuck in his jaws.

"I have to say," the Gekota leader finally said, grinning. "I've never had this much fun in my life, neither have I met such a unique group of people, especially you Cleon." The man held out a hand. "I am honored to meet you."

Despite the man being the leader of a gang who kidnapped him and forced him to help build a dangerous machine, Cleon felt genuine respect for the man knowing that, inside the hard exterior, there was a man who has such great potential, if only he could stop using it to further a Skill-Out gang's ambitions.

"Likewise," he finally said, shaking the man's hand.

"If you ever need any backup or any help of any kind, you'll know soon enough where to find us or, _rather_, we'll find you."

"Um, thanks."

"Sweet, now we have a posse!" Tensei said excitedly, thinking of the possibilities. "We can raid bad guys' lairs, break down doors, stomp heads, catch criminals and take names,-"

"Tensei-san..." Tatsu muttered, annoyed.

Tensei turned to Tatsu. "Yes?"

"Can it,"

"Fine, whatever."

"Well, we'll be sure to utilize your help, when the time comes," Yumeji spoke, nodding.

The Gekota leader smirked. "Spoken like a fellow leader. Oh yeah, I almost forgot..." Taking off one of his necklaces, he tossed it to Mikoto, who caught it, trying to keep herself from going crazy with Gekotamania, especially in front of Kuroko.

"Issue #27, first necklace in the series to be manufactured from parts made in the United States. Very rare, yet very valuable."

"Um, thanks," Mikoto said, blushing heavily as Kuroko looked on, disapproving her roommate's love for the children's toy brand.

"Well, I got to go check on the boys. Fighting such a powerful enemy can cause one to rethink his priorities and affiliation. Take care."

As the students bid the Gekota leader farewell, Kuroko turned to Mikoto, placing her hands on her hips. "Onee-sama...," she droned, taking on a maternal tone. "What did I tell you about playing with toys?"

"It's... I... hrrr, I'm not interested in Gekota or any other toy brand! Why would you care, anyway?"

"Because, number one: you thanked him for the necklace and, two: you just put that necklace in your pocket."

"I-I didn't want to hurt his feelings and I am saving it to give to a kid!"

Kuroko rolled her eyes. "Whatever..."

As the two girls chatted with each other, the five boys were reminiscing the battle.

"Woot, what an amazing night this is!" Tensei hooted, pumping a fist into the air. "I wish that we can do this every day!"

"Speak for yourself!" Amaito muttered before turning to Tatsu. "Anyway, what that guy did was amazing! You saw how he threw that charge? It's as if he used to be a soldier."

"He probably was, or at least has the experience," Tatsu agree. "However, nothing is cooler than the ray gun Cleon has built. Rosaria didn't know what hit her!"

"I sort of feel sorry for her...PSYCH!"

Both boys laughed as Yumeji yawned. "So, what did those thugs do to you, Cleon-san? Did they hurt you?" he asked, testing the bowstring of his bow. "My reason for asking is that I want to know how much I can trust in Gekota Man and his gang."

Cleon shrugged. "They only wanted me to help them build a machine to help them win against Rosaria, for what good it did them. It's where I'd gotten the parts for the ray gun. The strangest thing about the leader; however, is that he looked as if he was once a professor."

This caught Yumeji's attention. "Go on."

"Also, there's the case with the materials needed for the machine. The parts can easily be put together by anyone, even by unskilled hands, plus they looked pretty high-tech to me."

"A sort of experiment, perhaps to measure a Skill-Out gang's capability against powerful magicians and rogue espers," Yumeji breathed. Sighing, he looked back to Cleon. "I can't say I know what's going on here or who that man really is but, someday, I plan to do some research on him. Though we don't know his name, I am pretty sure that we'll find his picture somewhere on the city's database. As for this machine, I have a feeling that the higher ups may have a hand in-"

"CLEON, LOOK OUT!" Amaito shouted. Unfortunately, it was too late.

No less than four sharp objects pierced Cleon's back, jutting out his chest. Coughing up a glob of blood, he gave a pained groan as the horn-tipped vines lifted him into the air. Overcome by shock, which was quickly replaced by fury, Amaito, Yumeji, Tensei, and Tatsu charged toward the ragged form of Rosaria. Having crawled her way out of the monstrous rose, Rosaria had whispered a quick spell to control four horn-tipped vines and attacked Cleon with them. When the four boys got closer enough, Rosaria whispered a spell to control a fifth vine. With this, she swatted all but one of the boys away. Having dodged the vine, Yumeji was closing in, his wooden katana raised. Sidestepping his downward slash, Rosaria planted several fierce kicks into Yumeji's gut. Catching a sideward kick with one hand, Rosaria backhanded Yumeji with the other to push him back and unleashed a strong knee to the groin, causing him to fall onto the ground, hissing curses. As he rolled on the ground, she began to savor what little victory she has.

"Huahahahahaha!" she chortled, a psychotic sneer on her face, her eyes widened with hatred. "All of this is your doing, Cleon! I bet that you even arranged for that barbaric criminal to jump into my mouth and wreak havoc. You're at the end of your line, you abominable genius!"

"You're...the one... who's 'abominable', Rosaria...," Cleon weakly spoke, losing much blood. "In fact... you disgusts... me."

Rosaria gave Cleon a flat stare. "Agnese Sanctis shows much more respect than you, heathen!"

"Takes... a heathen... to know one..."

Rosaria's already constricted pupils shrunk even more as she took Cleon's comment as a personal affront. "DIE A HORRIBLE DEATH, PAGAN!"

"NOW!" Mikoto shouted. Immediately, Kuroko, who was now feeling better, teleported Mikoto behind Rosaria. Before the rogue magician could react, Mikoto wrapped her arms her torso. It didn't even take the crackling of electricity for Rosaria to realize that she's screwed. Immediately, her mask of fury quickly morphed into an expression of terror. Tears began to flow down Rosaria's cheeks.

"Please, *_sniff_* have mercy on me..." she whimpered.

"God has mercy," Mikoto growled. "I barely do."

Rosaria screamed as bolts of electricity coursed through her body, causing her to light up like a human light bulb. Dusting himself off, Tensei helped the others up and glanced at Rosaria, a big smile on his face.

"I knew that Rosaline was very conductive to electricity. Kind of reminds me of that experiment involving a small light bulb attached via wires to several electrodes stuck into a potato."

"True," Kuroko agreed, teleporting next to him, surprising him. "The electrical current required to light the bulb is generated by the reaction of the ions inside the potato to those present on the electrodes."

Tensei sighed. "Do you always butt in other people's conversations and give input that no one cares to hear?"

Kuroko scoffed. "I was merely educating you-oh, I forget, your brain has too much space for air and not enough for storing information. Pity."

Crossing his arms, Tensei gave Kuroko a flesh-eating smile. "If you were a type of soda, you would be what most people would call, 'extra-flat'."

Giving Tensei a flat stare, Kuroko sticked her fingers in Tensei's pants, grabbing the waistband of his underwear. Concentrating for a moment, she teleported it above his head, causing him to yelp in surprise as it fell over his head.

"I love my body, especially my legs, which is more than what I can say for your pink underpants."

"Hey, no fair! They were once white until some fool threw his red socks into the same washer!"

"Really...,"

Suddenly, the vines holding Cleon up collapsed, sending the fatally wounded student plummeting toward the ground. Seeing the scene play out, Kuroko quickly teleported to him. Grabbing him, she teleported him to a safe place. With the help of the others, she managed to slow the bleeding somewhat, knowing that it alone won't keep Cleon alive. He needed medical attention immediately.

After almost a minute of electrocuting the rogue magician, Mikoto let go of Rosaria. Stumbling forward, Rosaria bent over and emptied her stomach, much to Mikoto's disgust. The Ace of Tokiwadai back up slightly to avoid breathing in the sickening odor that arose.

"Ah... Mama," Rosaria whimpered deliriously, twitching uncontrollably. Her normally curly, shoulder length hair was now a puffy, red afro. Her Italian accent was jumpy due to the spasm that affected her jaw muscles. "Would you like... for me to... plant some more... basil?" Without warning, Rosaria fell onto her face, landing in her own vomit.

Disgusted, Mikoto turned away, instead focusing her attention on Cleon's critical condition. Racing to his side, Mikoto was aghast by the sheer brutality of Rosaria's attempt to kill him. Experiencing such a devastating attack, it was a miracle that he was still alive, courtesy of the other's efforts, though internal bleeding is still a major problem.

"I'd never... thought that I... would face...a life-threatening...situation in the...first week that... I enroll into...*_sigh_* Nagatenjōki...," he panted, his skin obtaining an ashy pallor.

"Hang in there, Cleon-san," Tensei calmly said, trembling. Behind him, Yumeji was calling for paramedics. "As long as you're still breathing, you will live."

'He's right," Amaito agreed, nodding. "You can't go. You just got here."

"Your being missing were enough to push us to the edge," Tatsu said. "Please, don't let our efforts be in vain."

"You've found me... It is not in vain."

"Yes, but we want to take you home _alive_," Yumeji responded, hanging up the phone. "Emergency line's clogged with calls. We'll need a miracle-"

As if on cue, red and blue lights flashed into one of the larger alleys as the sounds of sirens and a large number of vehicles echoed throughout the area. Moments later, a motorcade consisting of personnel carriers, armored cars and an ambulance poured into the area. The carriers rolled to a complete stop and Anti-Skill officers poured out of the back, swinging their guns here and there, securing the area. When they reached the unconscious body of Rosaria, the squad's officers gave the order and two men picked up Rosaria and handcuffed her as the rest trained their guns on her. In the flurry of activity, a pair of paramedics pulled a gurney from the back of the emergency vehicle and made their way toward the students.

"Well shave my hair through the middle and call me a priest," Tensei smirked, relief flooding him. "Miracles do happen, even in the Science Capital of the World."

'''''''''''''''''''

11:19 pm

Minutes after the students were escorted out of the area, the woman's motorcade arrived at the scene. Having to take many detours due to debris on the roads, it took the healthy portion of an hour before a suitable path could be found. Nevertheless, they have arrived at the scene when the children are away and that is what ultimately mattered.

Now is the time to doing an after battle assessment, as well as to collect the machine

The disposal crew, who were cleaning up the area, didn't pay that much attention to the group of scientists who were surveying the area. Looking around the ravaged area that served as the target's final battleground, the woman couldn't help but to whistle at the evidence of the sheer amount of effort the Skill-Out gang put into fighting the rogue magician. However, it seemed to be for naught: according to one of the Anti-Skill officers belonging to the motorcade that was already here, there was no sight of the gang when they arrived here. It was as if they have retreated in the middle of the battle.

Interesting though, his report tells of finding no more than seven students upon arrival to the area, including, of all people, the Railgun herself. By the weapons they carried, it can be assumed that they fought the target themselves and won.

"The means that the children used to defeat Rosaria is astonishing," the older scientist breathed excitedly. "They may even fight better than the Skill-Out gang we were studying."

"But, in stark contrast to ITEM, for example, they are nothing more than newbies," the woman pointed out. In one hand, she held a cylindrical object. Various tiny objects rolled around inside the larger object with every movement. "Highly trained groups such as ITEM will tear them apart without any effort, even with the Railgun's help, though the boy who sparked my interest could truly be unique."

"You mean that boy who'd directed his friends into making an impossibly accurate shot at the target despite facing strong winds?"

"Precisely," The woman took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Have you found any information about him?"

The older scientist looked over his notes. "Um, let's see," he finally said, flipping through the pages. "His name is Cleon Richardson. He's an American who hails from Library City in California. He's a Level 2 Mental Compute ability user who can incorporate and manipulate data in various ways and at a much rapid processing speed than normal human beings. He can also formulate calculations and predict outcomes based on those calculations. It's even possible that he can manipulate physical objects in the same way, making just about anything out of everything without the need for manuals. He's basically like a human computer, if you will."

Nodding, the woman looked up into the cloudy sky as a light drizzle fell on her face, her long, wavy orange hair waving in the wind. She closed her eyes and muttered, "Yellow." Opening the lid of the cylindrical tube, which turned out to be a small can of candy, she dug a finger inside and pulled out a yellow piece of candy, just as she have predicted. Eating the candy, the woman closed the top of the can and asked, "Dr. Teyomori, what do you know of Mental Compute besides what you'd just told me?"

Not quite used to the woman's uncanny ability to correctly guess the color of the candy she will pick out of the can, Teyomori pushed the thought out of his mind. "Mental Compute is an extremely rare ability, rarer than most of the abilities of which we're familiar with. In fact, it's very difficult for anyone to acquire it through the Power Curriculum. Therefore, it's a greater possibility that Cleon have obtained the ability naturally."

The woman's eyes widened for a moment before finally relaxing. "An interesting specimen, isn't it? Well, it's a shame that he's a Level 2. We would have to wait until he improves further before we can act."

"Correct,"

Patting Teyomori on the head, causing him to blush so heavily that he looks like he has a fever, the woman continued walking toward the machine. "Now, let's check on the prototype."

Hisako was already there, talking to a pair of scientists as he pointed to the large salvaged machine. Inspecting the machine, the woman was surprised that most of the components, save for a laser, the crystal, and other missing components, were all still there. Teyomori's reaction is similar, except that he is also frustrated at someone vandalizing the machine on which he'd tirelessly worked so hard. It's like having one's child taken and utterly misused and then discarded once its use have been fulfilled.

"So," the woman finally asked Hisako as she glanced down at the machine. "Can the machine be recovered or would we need to build a new one from scratch?"

Hisako adjusted his glasses. "Well, with the replacement of components, as well as the repair of the outer shell, this machine can be used again by the end of July," he explained. "However, the crystal is completely destroyed. Apparently, someone took the crystal and other vital components and made this." Motioning to one of the scientist, Hisako took a long object from a female scientist.

Interested, the woman examined the object closely. Though the parts were badly scorched, she recognized the battery pack, the wires, and the remnant of one of the lasers. A fixture was attached to the leading portion of the laser, obviously to hold the crystal. The entire unit was attached to a badly scorched wooden bat via wires. It took one look at the makeshift trigger at the bottom half of the bat when the woman realized the true purpose of the weapon.

Teyomori noticed the weapon and smirked, "An effect of Mental Compute, perhaps?"

The woman nodded. "This is interesting. I've never knew that these components could be built into some like this," She turned to face Teyomori. "Inform our allies in the Administration. Tell them to keep an eye on Cleon's progress throughout school, especially on his shifts in level. When he becomes a Level 4, we will move on to the next phase of our plan."

"Yes, it shall be done...Dr. Lifeline," Teyomori complied, bowing.

"Now that the prototype has proven itself to be successful, and will be more effective with the use of sound waves," Hisako asked. "Have you thought about what to name it?"

Dr. Lifeline, Therestina Kihari Lifeline, yawned and answered after readjusting her glasses, "Since it nullifies the rituals of magicians and the abilities of espers, therefore decreasing their capacity in battle, it shall be named Capacity Down."

"Ooh, nice name," Teyomori agreed, nodding.

"An appropriate name," Hisako agreed, scratching his head. "But Capacity Down needs more testing to truly gauge its potential since it wasn't used that long. Who will you give copies to in order to do so?"

Therestina smirked heartily. However, despite her warm exterior, a cruel and malicious cunning could be seen in her blue eyes. "I have in mind a Skill-Out gang. In fact, since its original leader is still in jail, I have a feeling that the current leader is going to be much more cooperative."


End file.
